Innudendos
by AudaciousAdventures
Summary: High school is hard enough as it as a 16 year old girl. But now, Jill, Claire, Maya, and Luna will all have to start over...in Paris. Things get even more complicated as they attempt to figure out the most important things in their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Finding Mine

Jill's POV:

Paris is a big place. There are big houses, big monuments, big museums and crypts. And then, there's me, Jill. Short, small, brown haired, amethyst eyed Jill. It was crazy that my mom thought I'd ever fit into this place. I'd lived on a farm, until my dad died. Then we'd moved to the city, hoping to forget all the memories. I was still so young, and now, now that my mom has finally found an escape from the amethyst eyes that remind her so much of my father, I'm standing here…in front of the largest high school I'd ever seen in my life.

Welcome to boarding school.

Welcome to hell.

Claire's POV: 

It's always best to get to the school a couple days ahead. That way you get the peace and quiet you need to unpack your stuff and cram it into the 7 by 9 square foot closet that becomes your room for the next few years. A strand of my blonde hair tumbled out of the bun I'd placed it in. I huffed, throwing my bags in and collapsing on my familiar bed. Posters and pictures I hung on the walls taunted me. Freshman year had gone well before my dad got sick. I was a farmer's daughter. No one knew that, no one outside of his farm anyway. So there was no one in the school who could POSSIBLY understand why I'd gone back to the farm this summer and spent my days walking the trial he had, seeing the people he had.

The pictures on my wall were of me being happy with a couple of friends. Paris was a beautiful place. I…well, I was just a mess.

Kai's POV:

The summer was over. I scowl as I pulled my bags into my cramped living space and threw all the clothes in the dresser. Summer was the only awesome time of the year. Nothing else could compare! Girls in bikinis, grilled corn and swimming all day long! Compared to what, sitting alone in a cramped room trying to memorize math formulas? The only good thing was that we were in Paris. Paris could get really beautiful at night. I didn't know about the rest of the nerds inhabiting this school, but I was ready for a beautiful Paris. And I was going to see it, no matter what.

Skye's POV:

Why the hell am I in Paris? School? Please, my father must know by now that school isn't that important to me at all. No, this was for appearances of course. He wanted his rich son to go to a rich school because we all had to be rich and snobby if we had money. Fat chance. All I was looking forward to was the bounty that could be found in these houses. My job was going to be made a whole lot easier, that was for sure. I just hope it doesn't rain a lot in Paris. NOTHING was going to get me out in the rain. Nobody, nothing, no amount of money or whatever else people used against you.

I did bother to unpack though, because it was no use complaining. Nothing was ever going to change. Paris would still be beautiful, and I'd still be a Phantom.

At least some thingsi n life are consistent.

Gill's POV:

This school was perfect for me. It was for the rich and powerful, and I was definitely that. Waffle Town schools were just so…plain. Everyone was let in, no matter what their standings! It was like…public-school. Yuck. At least all the upperclass would be here, in Paris. I was definitely glad for that. My father had allowed me to be here out of generocity of course! I had to remember to thank the man in a weekly e-mail. Huh, that would definitely be hard.

I arranged all my things quickly and with purpose. Everything had to be perfect! I couldn't have guests over and have it all messy now could I? The annoying cowlick in my hair was tauninng me as I hung up my mirror. Whatever. It was good to be returning to this school. Everything felt similar. Nothing was new. I kind of liked it that way. The people wouldn't be knew either. Smart, rich, and good-looking. I was going to fit in wonderfully.

Maya's POV: 

I'd caught the plane to Paris a week before I'd had to. Oops. Something was always going askew in my life, and though it should always have actually been my cooking, now it was school. Now cooking had to be a part of my life. And I STILL hadn't mastered it. I didn't know how to cook! My room didn't even have a kitchen! Mom had bought me a microwave and I set it up, but what good would that do? I'd still have to speak French to get the cookable dinners. I'd still have to go out there. Nothing was different in my room. Everyone had gone here from grade 9. Paris didn't HAVE newbies. Kind of sad though. I thought of calling Chase and asking him to help me, but then I remembered what he'd told me before we left. Now that we didn't have to work together in my parents' Inn, he didn't want anything to do with me. I remember how I'd cried at that. He was just a big old JERK. I didn't need him to help me with my cooking or my studying.

With a loud POP I squealed in delight. My popcorn was done! I opened the microwafe and coughed at all the smoke. Ok…so maybe I did need help with cooking. BUT THAT'S WHAT THE INTERNET IS FOR!

Luna's POV:

I was the youngest sophomore in this Paris school. I was a year younger, only a year! But the fact that I hadn't hit puberty yet kind of did make me look like a kid. I was so much shorter than everyone, it sucked. But then again, all the attention would be on me. Could I keep my grades up? Of course I could, this is ME we're talking about. Luna. I'm fabulous. Candace didn't come with me because she had to help aunt Shelly. Well forget about them. They're not in Paris for a reason. They're scared. And there's not one thing I hate more than people scared of that they could become.

I tried on different outfits, getting ready for the first couple days of high school. All my old friends would be here of course. I was already known. I could be popular.

I WOULD be popular.

Chase's POV:

I was so happy I oculd speak French. I could order the finest thingso n the menu and pay for it in euros. I could be French. Studying in Paris would be a breeze so long as no one came around to bother me. Plus my mom lived somewhere around here and I oculd go see her on weekends instead of my so called "friends". There was so much food I wanted to taste, so many things to learn and experience. I was excited as I pulled into my cramped living space and smelled home. The scent of cinnamon was in the air. My violin was in one corner, propped up, and my mini fridge was stocked with bountiful food. It was such a shame I couldn't have a kitchen in this place.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Clouds that Cover the World

Jill's POV:

I lugged all of my stuff into my dorm and breathe a sigh of relief. After an hour of arranging everything I sit back in my chair, satisfied. I should've been happy then, I should've been enjoying my new dorm, my new life. But I wasn't. The smile on my face wiped off and I frowned. What was I doing?

I was all alone in a beautiful place. I was free to do as I pleased, free to be who I wanted to be. I was also completely and utterly alone. There was no one to talk to here, and that definitely wouldn't be changing any time soon. Everyone here already has friends, allies, acquaintances. Who knows if I was the only person that was new?! I'm supposed to be finding myself, that's why mom told me to go. That, and the fact that mom saw my father in me. Now that he was gone, I'd become more alone than ever. No one could understand what it felt like to lose someone who'd always been there, to feel them floating away like a cloud, but not being able to catch up with it. It was like chasing the moon. You knew the night would end, and so your task was almost impossible. The moon was millions of light-years away, and yet because you could see faint images of it, you thought you'd be able to reach it.

But…but…eventually you realize that it's useless. There's nothing you can do to catch up to the moon. There's no way to rewind to the past and starting it up the right way. You have to take everything day by day. The thing was, I'd always had my mother around to help me with it. She could distract me from everything. In Paris, no one knew anything about me. No one knew how many nights I'd stayed up on the farm after my mom had shooed me off for a while. No one knew how much I missed my dog and cat back at the farm. They hadn't been made for the city life and I'd given them to the two kids in town; Kate and Hugh. No one knew a thing. No one would cut me any sort of slack.

Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe that meant I could get a new start. I didn't have to be the same shy, insecure girl I'd been, hiding in the shadows during my dad's funeral. No matter what, I wasn't going to be held back by my past. I could just take care of my future.

I smiled, wiping the moisture from my eyes. I showered and slunk into some fresh, simple clothes and put my hair in a pony-tail. The walls were paper thin. I wondered who was on the other side. I gripped the door handle and pushed it forward.

The door swings back and knocks me straight in the forehead.

_What the heck just happened?_

I squint at the blurry room around me. It is _my_ room. So why am I passed out on the bed? Did I random fall asleep? Am I that jet-lagged? What in the world?

"Hey beautiful, I'm glad you're awake," a sly, voice says.

I scream, a full-out, horror movie scream.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! IS THIS SOME SORT OF PARIS RITUAL? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ALL MY MONEY? I STILL HAVE TO GO TO THE BANK AND GET IT EXCHANGED! ALL I HAVE IS GOLD! I'M ABOUT TO GO GET THE EUROS NOW! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, JUST DON'T KILL ME!"

He gives me the strangest look ever, then starts laughing like a maniac.

"WHAT?! WHAT IS IT?!" I ask, genuinely frightened.

He was hot. There was a hot, strange, boy, laughing at me as I lay passed out on my bed. Silver hair, green eyes, cute face.

"SKYE ARE YOU IN THERE?" some girl yells.

His face remains relaxed. "How do you know where the bank is?" he asks.

"I don't. I was going to ask, or use Google or something," I say. "WAIT, NO WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME…?"

He presses a finger to my lip, smirking flirtatious. "Now beautiful, you really should lock your door more often, it'd be a waste to see you get hurt. I'll take you to the bank ok? "

"Who are you?" I ask him. "I don't need your help, I don't even know who you are!"

He smiles. "So you're a smart one huh? Smart and rich, that's something."

"Rich?" I ask him.

"Why else would you be here?"

"Ever heard of a scholarship?" I ask him.

"SKYE? WHY ARE YOU IN A GIRL'S ROOM?" the woman yells again.

He glances at the door and smiles, shaking his head.

"This is silly. If you don't want my help then fine. But you have to ask someone," he says.

"Your name is Skye?" I ask him.

He winks at me. "Yours?"

"It's Jill," I say. "Jill Suzumiya."

A look of surprise crosses his face. "You're…you're…"

"SKKKKYYYYYEEEEE!"

The woman busts through my door and surveys the situation, then starts screaming.

"HEY YOU! GET OUT! YOU HAVE NO PERMISSION TO BE IN MY ROOM! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!" I scream, blushing. "NO, NO, NO!"

"Oh!" she says, her expression softening. "Sorry about all of this. My name's Luna Hiroshi. I met Skye last year. Are you new? I've never seen you around here."

"Jill Suzumiya," I say.

"Sorry to jet out on all of you like this," Skye says, smirking from my doorway.

"Huh? HEY!" Luna screams.

He winks at me. "See you later gorgeous."

Despite myself, I blush. Luna yells but it's futile. He's gone.

Luna sighs. "That fool, always getting out of trouble like that. You're new, so I guess someone should really tell you. That boy, he's like a storm cloud. He'll bring trouble, no matter what. I'm sure you know that. He's a thief, and no one says anything because he's from a very rich family. That's why he's in this school. No one's going to expose him. We think of him as more of a kleptomaniac rather than a rebellious little kid. In any case, you know how storm clouds can cover the sky so easily? That's what Skye is. He's nothing but a bad omen, covering the beauty of the world. He might seem harmless, or like a little rain cloud, but trust me, that boy is bad news. Avoid him at all cost. Anyway, I should really head out. Sorry for barging in like this. I like right across. If you need anything, feel free to stop by at any time!"

Luna leaves and I sigh and fall in a heap on the floor.

How the heck was I supposed to exchange my currency when I didn't speak French?

This day was going PERFECTLY.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Familiar Faces from Unusual Places

Claire's POV:

Paris was beautiful this time of year. What am I saying? Paris is beautiful all year round! My blonde hair was blowing all over my face as me and my friends made our way to the library.

"Are we really going to do this?" I ask them. "There are so many beautiful things we could do right now!"

"Come on Claire, you know you love it here!" Ann says, her braid waving in the wind. "In any case, it has to be better than the little school next to your dad's farm."

I freeze. "Yea," I say. No one knew that I'd lived on a farm, or that my dad had occupied one for so long. My old overalls had been packed into the bottom of my bag.

We head into the big library and check out old textbook, novels, French books, history books. Rounding a corner with a bunch of books, I stop and hear a few voices.

"Man this was such a good idea. We'll find a bunch of SMART cute girls here, whoa!"

I roll my eyes.

"See that girl? I think she's friends with that blonde girl in our class," the voice says.

"DUDE! Someone make a move on her, that way Kai will get closer to blondie. What's her name? Claire?"

Surprised, I stumble and drop all of my books to the floor. The guys jump.

"Claire!" a guy named Skye says, winking at me. "I apologize for these idiots." There were three of them. One was Skye, the weird rich thief who had a thing for flirting with everyone. The next boy was some guy named Vaughn, who wore a cowboy hat and was quite mysterious. The last one was…hiding from me? I could see his purple bandana peeking out though.

"Skye," I say. "Vaughn. Still lurking around hunting girls huh? Well sorry boys, I'm not interested in letting you weirdoes hurt my best friends and I sure as hell ain't dating you guys."

"Aww come on Claire, it's not even us who like you," Vaughn says.

"Yea, I'm more attracted to the ones that would consider me," Skye says, taking my hand. "Though you're still quite the beautiful maiden."

"Your flattery never does get old there Skye," I say, rolling my eyes. "So who is it that you're setting me up with this time huh?"

"Kai, come on out she doesn't bite, not even Skye! And everyone bites him." Vaughn coos.

"You are insane," the guy says, putting the book down. "I was wrapped in the cookbook that's all, plus no one introduced us."

Tanned skin, bandana, nice smile, pretty eyes. My eyes widen. It's…Kai?

_"I'm Kai," he says, smiling widely._

_"Claire," I say, fiddling with my overalls. Of course, the only time a cute guy could come into the village is when I'm sweaty from farming in these stupid clothes. "I've never seen you around before."_

_"Yea, I only come during the summer; I have this Snack Shack down by the beach. You should come and check it out if you have time."_

_"Oh, if you have a second, I'll be right over. I take really quick showers." Why was I saying that?!_

_He laughs. "Sure, I'll wait."_

_I run inside, showering quickly and pulling a comb through my hair. I fasten it into a ponytail with a ribbon and put on a floral dress. I walk back out, waving._

_"You clean up well," he says, blushing._

_I blush too. "Thanks," I say. "Now let's go see that snack shack of yours!"_

_"What's your favourite season?" he asks, as we head down to the shack._

_"I love summer," I say honestly. "It's beautiful in so many ways. It can represent both a happy ending, and a wonderful beginning. I was born in the summer you know? Yea, July 3__rd__. I feel like there's so much to do, and not much stopping you during summer. Oh…I'm rambling. Sorry," I say._

_"No, don't apologize. I'm happy to find someone who loves summer as much as I do!"_

_"Really?" I ask._

_"Of course. So what do you want? Here I'll give you some stir fry, on me, you look beat."_

_"Oh," I say. "I guess so; farm work takes a lot out of you. Anyway, I can't just take it; I have to at least pay…"_

_"No way. We're friends now right? So that means I can treat you," he winks._

_"Friends huh? Well friends eat together. Come on, if anything I'll split mine with you."_

_"No beans, I eat way too much. We'll just have to eat together."_

_"Won't you get fired?"_

_"I'm self-employed, and I'm the cook, so what I say goes!"_

_I laugh at him. "Fine, you win this time, but the next time we go out I'm treating you!"_

_I realize what I've said and blush frantically. He laughs. "It's a date then."_

_I bite my lip to keep from smiling. We ate the stir fry on the beach, looking out to the sea. _

_"HEY CLAIRE WHATCHA DOIN' OVER HERE?" Rock's voice yells._

_I shake my head, sighing. _

_"Is that your boyfriend?" Kai asks sheepishly._

_I burst out laughing. "THAT'S THE FUNNIEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD! THIS MORON? HECK NO!"_

_"What's so funny?" Rock asks, plonking down on the log between us. _

_Rock was the playboy of this Valley. He was always pulling stunts like pretending he could do everything, and that there was no need to even try. He flirted with EVERYONE. _

_"Nothing. Anyway, I'm…on a date. Could you…?"_

_"WITH KAI?" he asks. "I thought we had something!"_

_"What are you talking about? Aren't you dating Lumina?"_

_"Lumina is old news! It's our turn now!"_

_I sigh. "As much as I'd love to be your second fiddle, I'm taken," I say._

_"You two are boyfriend and girlfriend already? PROVE IT!"_

_I blush. "Technically I don't have to prove anything to you."_

_"If you prove it, I'll leave the two of you alone!" Rock says._

_Kai gets up, holding out a hand for me. I get up too._

_"Are you sure?" I ask him. "We don't actually have to-"_

_"Unless you're not ready, I've sort of wanted to do this that entire time sitting next to you, hearing you talk about your life."_

_My eyes widen. Kai gets closer and closer to me, and I can feel the warmth of the setting sun as he presses his lips onto mine, and envelops me in a world of happiness._

"I have to go," I say quickly, running out of the library and back to my dorm before anyone could see the trail of tears slowly flowing down my face.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: An Uncontrollable Explosion

Maya's POV:

_This time, it'll work for sure!_

I put the popcorn into the microwave and pressed the button, then waited patiently as it counted down. Hearing a knock on my door, I step out for a moment.

"Hi, can I- CHASE?" I squeal.

"Maya?" he asks, face-palming. "Great, I live next to an unstable science experiment."

I laugh it off; Chase has never been one to bless with compliments.

"So what's up?" I ask him.

"I just wanted to greet you," he says. "Hey, what's that smell?"

"Huh?"

"You've been cooking?" he asks, somewhat on edge.

"Oh yea, nothing that big though, just pop-"

A loud BANG is heard and I run to the microwave, Chase close behind.

"NOT AGAIN!" I yell in desperation. Smoke is pouring out of my microwave and the popcorn is burnt to a crisp.

"What did you DO?" he asks.

"Nothing," I say. "It said cook for 8 minutes, see?"

"MAYA THAT'S A THREE!"

"What? Man they really have to fix that."

"MAYA YOU HAVE TO FAN THIS OUT OR THE SMOKE ALARMS ARE GOING TO GO OFF!" Chase says.

"Oh! Right. I've got it!"

I run off to grab a glass of water, then spray it on the microwave. The smoke had dispersed.

"What did you think water would do to clear up smoke?" Chase asks.

"Huh? Oh…I thought it was on fire or something. Because of the smoke…"

"No, you burned the popcorn, so that created the smoke! God, you haven't changed at all."

I sink back into myself, unplugging the microwave. It was like I was a child being reprimanded.

"You two do realize these walls are paper thin and I can hear you right?" Gill asks, standing in our doorway. "Chase, good to see you. I'm sure the cuisine will suit you. Maya why are you here?"

"Huh what? I came for the cuisine too! I've been here since last year, same as you!"

He rolls his eyes. "I know, but I don't know why you bothered to come back here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, after what happened last year I thought you'd be too ashamed to come back. I'd have been. But of course you don't have much of a family name to hold up," Gill says, laughing coldly.

Last year there was an accident. I'd messed up a recipe in Home Economics and burned down part of the building. They'd fixed everything up during the summer, and my family had to pay for it. They'd all been disappointed in me, but my teacher had covered for me, blaming most of the equipment, so I'd been allowed to stay.

"That was an accident," I say.

"Everything's an accident with you," Gill says, rolling his eyes.

"What's wrong with that? Everyone makes mistakes!" I protest.

He laughs. "That only works when people learn from their mistakes. You can't even read a three on a popcorn bag and you're in high school? I think you should just go back home. There's nothing here for you."

Gill leaves, leaving me and Chase in the room.

"I won't say I side with everything that he said," Chase says looking at me with pity in his eyes. "But you have to admit, you shouldn't really be here."

"Get out," I whisper.

"Sorry what?"

"GET OUT. Who cares if I made a mistake? All any of you do is judge me for what I've done in the past! I'm still here, and there's a reason for that. THEY LET ME STAY FOR A REASON! So what if I suck? I'm good at school, it's just home economics! I'm still here trying, and you have no right to say that I shouldn't be here! Get out!"

I'd never stood up to Chase before. Up until this point I'd found him cool, I'd thought he could be the best cook in town. He had been, but now all I saw was an insecure brat who liked to bully me. He and Gill could be the perfect pair.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Meet Your Match, Start the Flame

Luna's POV:

"HEY!" I yell, banging on the door. "I know you're crying in there! Open up!"

"Luna, what are you doing?" Jill asks, sleepily exiting her room. She'd gone off to find the bank a couple hours ago, and after a long grueling process, she'd finally called me over to help her. I think we were going to be great friends. In any case she'd been beat and slept for a couple hours. She was still in her weird, farmer clothes. Huh, I guess we all have our weird moments.

"There's someone in this room, crying!"

"Well if she won't open the door, maybe she doesn't want to be disturbed!"

"COME ON, OPEN UP!" I say, ignoring her. If someone was crying this much there had to be something wrong. It wasn't normal. Even if she was avoiding help, that didn't mean she didn't need it.

Finally the door eases open, and a cute girl with blonde hair and sea green eyes opened the door. Her eyes weren't puffy at all. Huh?

"Oh hello! Sorry, did I keep you waiting? I was watching this great anime with my headphones and didn't hear the door."

"No problem! I just heard you crying," I say.

"Oh, it's the anime. It's the saddest thing I've ever seen. My name's Maya!"

"I'm Luna," I say, stretching my hand out. "And this is Jill!"

Jill sleepily walks forward, raising a hand to wave.

"Hello! Would you like to come in and watch some of this anime with me? I don't mind starting over, it's wonderful!"

"Sure, I love anime!" I say.

"I'm up for it," Jill agrees.

"Alright, just make yourselves comfortable, I'll get some snacks."

"Oh, Maya, I heard an explosion from this room a while ago. What was that?"

"Oh I just burned some popcorn," she says, blushing.

"Really? I'm useless at cooking too!" I say.

"Well I guess I'll be cooking for the three of us," Jill says, yawning. "Back at my old town, I used to win all the cooking challenges. It was wonderful."

"That's great! This is going to be an awesome friendship!"

There was a knock on the door. All three of us were huddled on the bed, teary-eyed from looking at the computer screen.

"I'll get it," I say, hopping from the bed and opening the door. A tall boy, with pure blonde hair, blue eyes, and a stern, sophisticated look to him stands there expectantly. "What is it?"

"Why are you crying? And where's Maya?" he asks.

"We're watching anime. Thank you, goodbye," I say, closing the door.

"No wait! Where's Maya?"

"Who is it Luna?" Maya asks.

I cock my head at the boy. "Answer her question mystery man," I say.

"It's Gill," he yells.

"Tell him to get lost!" Maya answers.

"I came to apologize!" he yells.

"Should I kick him out?" I ask Maya.

"Yea, go get him Luna!"

I nod. He laughs. "_You_ think you can get rid of _me_? What are you, a freshman?"

I narrow my eyes at him push him out of the doorway and watch his cocky smile fade. "I'm as old as you are, but obviously much smarter than you since I got here before you could."

"What's that supposed to mean, you're here on a scholarship?"

I close the door behind me and slap him across the face. "Why do you ask that? Do you think you know everything about everyone here?"

"You just hit me," he says, scrunching up his face.

A cream haired boy with his hair pinned back comes out of his room.

"Gill stop!" he says, holding back his hand as he comes to strike me.

"What's going on out here?" Jill asks, coming out of Maya's room. "How do you know Maya and why is she crying?"

"I thought it was the anime," Gill says, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"You are a jerk," I say. "Maya told us what happened."

She hadn't, but it put him on edge.

"What?"

"Never mind that," Jill interrupts. "What happened?"

"She hit me," Gill says, pointing fingers.

"He was being an inconsiderate jerk, just himself; I guess I shouldn't have hit him. Sorry, can't take a slap from a girl huh? You are pathetic."

"Who are you to call me pathetic?" Gill demands. "Do you know who I am? My father is the mayor of Waffle Town!"

"Of course I know who you are," I say, rolling my eyes. "I'm from Waffle Town. My sister is Candace. I left because I wanted to go to school, but I never met anyone. And you've got it wrong. That's not even who you ar. That's who your father is. Idiot. You're too much of a brat to even see that you haven't made a name for yourself, just hid behind the one your father has."

"Luna," Jill says, looking at the floor. "Don't."

"What's the prob-"I stop. Gill's face is contorted in rage, and yet I see that his eyes are sparkling with tears.

Did I do that?

"You don't know me!" he yells, shaking off the cream-haired boy's hand. "And I don't know you! So let's not judge each other anymore ok? In fact, let's never speak again!"

"Fine with me," I say, shrugging. I head back into my room and shut the door behind me, at a loss for words. Had I really done that to him?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Phoenix Ashes

Chase's POV:

Gil stormed off to his room, leaving me to deal with this brown haired girl. I didn't know what to say, and I was about to leave when she spoke.

"I wish they wouldn't say such things to each other," she whispered.

"Why? It's not our problem anyway," he says.

"Then why did you stop him from hitting her? He would've, you know it," she says, looking intently at me.

"I had to do something," I say. "That was normal."

"Exactly. That's what a genuine human being does. Not someone who's completely cold to the world," she says.

"What do you mean by that? I didn't say I was cold to the world!"

She cocks her head to the side. "But you did say it wasn't your problem didn't you? You couldn't have said that and still do what you did if you yourself weren't troubled."

"You're reading too much into this. It's nothing. Gill's my friend after all."

"I'm Jill," the girl says, holding out a hand.

"Chase," I respond. "So, what are you here for?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, is it cooking, is it the art, or just a nice trip?"

She thinks for a moment, then shrugs, smiling. "I'm here for getting away from…" she stops short.

"What is it?" For a moment, I see through her small smile, see the tears welling in her eyes before she bats her eyes a couple times and says. "For the films I guess!"

"Want to go see one sometime?" I ask, out of the blue.

She looks taken aback by it too. "Sure," she says, smiling incredulously. "I love the classics though, you might get bored."

"No, I love the classics. Here, I'll give you my number," I say, pulling out a pen.

"I don't have any paper," she says.

"That's fine," I say, taking her arm. "We'll pretend to be those juvenile kids from back in the old days."

She blushes. Did I just make a girl blush? No way, that was not possible. I didn't even know Jill. Nevertheless, I scrawled my number on her arm and waved goodbye to her, stirred by my thumping heart. Was I falling for Jill?

Jill's POV:

Ok, that was odd. I glanced at the number on my arm. I went back into Maya's room to tell her that I'd be going to sort out my books and stuff for next week. Then I went back to my room and saw Skye perched on my bed reading my old diary.

I almost screamed, but he glanced at me and in a matter of seconds, he had his hand over my mouth, and closed the door behind me.

"Did you forget about me already?" he asks, smirking.

I calm down and he takes his hand away. I snatch my diary away from him, holding it against my chest.

"So who is this Rock fellow?" he asks.

My eyes widen. "Don't you know it's rude to read other people's things?"

He smirks at me. _"I know he was a playboy, he was probably just toying around with me. And everyone knew him and Lumina were going to go out. I would be collateral damage if I got in the way of their relationship."_

I go beet red, remembering how I'd been hung up over a guy who didn't even like me. I refuse to look at Skye, sitting there mocking me. Suddenly I'm crying then, in the memory of all the things Rock had said to me, and yet how he'd still chosen her over me. It was inevitable. After all, I had moved to Mineral town shortly after, so it wouldn't have worked out anyway. It still got me down sometimes though.

"Hey, wait…are you…crying?" Skye asks, and I hear the laugh in his voice.

I look up at him, the tears silently rolling down. "So what if I am? Of course you can't understand. Have you ever loved anyone but yourself? You steal things from others don't you? Why? Why are you even here? You can have whatever it is that you want from me, just leave me alone." I try and back out of the door and walk into my bookcase. Something falls on my head and I wince.

Skye is on his knees holding my head.

"I'm sorry," he says. "It was rude of me. I didn't mean to hurt you, beautiful."

"Talk is cheap," I say. "I learned that from Rock."

"See, that's good! You learn things from going out into the world and living life. It's normal to be sad about it sometimes, I suppose, but look, you're all…better now!"

I wipe my tears and look at him. "What the heck are you saying?"

He starts laughing. "I have no idea. I've never been good at cheering people up. I don't really…talk to people that often."

I nod. "You're talking to me," I say. "Why are you by the way?"

"I was going to tease you about your new crush," he says, smirking.

"Huh?" I ask, dumb-founded.

"You know, Mr. Cream-hair."

"Chase? Oh no, it's not like that. Honestly I don't even know why he asked me. OH NO WHAT TIME IS IT?"

He blinks. "6:45. Why?"

"I HAVE TO GO IF I WANT TO CATCH THE MOVIE! I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS ONE; IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY GOOD!" I squeal, grabbing my bag. "Eww, but I can't go like this! HOLD ON, DON'T MOVE, OR I'LL GET FREAKED OUT!"

I run into my bathroom and change clothes. My hair remains tied up, but with a ribbon this time. I'm wearing a yellow skirt, and a lace white shirt with cream coloured flats.

"Where are you going?" he asks, laughing.

"The theatre across the street!" I say.

"But it'll be late by the time you get back, are you sure you want to go?"

"If you're so concerned about me losing my way then just come along," I say, taking his hand.

"You want me to come?" he asks.

"Sure, if that's what floats your boat. You're paying for your own ticket though, I still don't understand euros."

We cross the street and buy tickets then sit in the dark, empty theatre.

He laughs. "Why are you holding my hand?"

"What?" I ask, and then look down. I'm still holding it. I hope the darkness of the theatre hides my blush. "Sorry."

He laughs again. "You don't have to apologize!"

"Shh," I say, staring intently at the screen. I watch as the characters come to life. Dancing, singing, finding happiness, having it be torn away from them.

I start crying halfway through the film, as the wife gives birth to her baby, but dies due to complications.

"Why are you crying so much? Didn't you know this was going to happen?"

I look at Skye, still crying. "It's so hard to grow up without one parent, especially since the baby looks so much like her mother. The father probably won't be able to look at her without seeing her mother and it'll be painful for both of them. The child will grow up waiting for her to come back, up until the moment where she can understand that she's gone and that she's never going to come back. And then she'll have to cope with being lied to until she can understand that they didn't mean any harm. Then that kid will probably go looking for her mom in things that her mom used to like. They'll go back to the farm that her mom worked at just to see if her mom is still…connected there. But after a while she'll realize it's useless, and her dad will tell her that she needs to stop looking for something that wasn't there In the first place. Then she'll end up somewhere far away so that her dad won't have to see her. She'll have to deal with not being wanted, and have to grow strong at a young age. Then, who knows what she'll do?"

Skye stares intently at me. "When did your father die?"

"I-I never said that he…"

"You seem to know everything that's going to happen to this girl," he says. "Your story isn't about her is it? It was your father who died."

"No, I've…I've seen this movie before."

"Really? I distinctly remember you telling me you'd never seen it."

I keep crying. "I don't like to talk about it."

"Not even now?"

"Especially not now. You don't even know me."

He chuckles and I resume, watching the film. He knows now, there's no avoiding it, but that doesn't mean I have to tell him everything.

"I guess you don't remember," he whispers, so softly that I know I wasn't meant to hear it.

I look at him, and he watches the film. He looks like he's thinking about something, remembering something. I know that look. I've had it for years. Remembering things is easy when you're in a place like this. It's dark except for a bunch of images on a screen. They remind you of things so easily, that's why films are the greatest. I'd probably be the worst film critic in the world. Every emotion they show in the movie can be tied back to something in my past so easily.

Memories can be such wonderfully taunting things sometimes.

I remember when I was a freshman, when my mother decided to put me in this school. I was one of those lost, lonely girls. I'd lost so much, and had just begun to realize that my father would never walk through the door again. I'd tried to keep my head up every day, but my smile was losing all integrity. I was trudging on even though a little part of me would break off day by day. My mother couldn't stand watching that, since all she saw in me was my dad. I was sent away, to this place.

The movie has a happy ending. The girl, even after losing her mother, tells her dad that she's missed him, and he promises her that he'll stay with her forever, holding onto what was left of his wife. I cry then, because that will never happen for me. My mother will never think that I am what's left of dad. I am his daughter, but I'd failed as a farmer anyway. I bow my head in silence as I cry, and feel Skye put his hand on my back.

"It's alright," he says. "You can tell me."

"Why?"

"Because you've got to tell someone right? I mean, if you keep it all bottled up you'll end up hurting yourself."

"How would you know?"

He smiles sadly at me and I lift my head. "Why do you think I'm a thief?"

I shrug. "I heard you were a kleptomaniac," I say.

He gives me an uncomprehending look and I laugh. "It means that you can't help stealing. I think it's a disease or something."

"Did Luna tell you that?" he asks, scowling.

I laugh again. "So why do you do it then?"

"So you want to know about me huh?"

I blush. The lights turn on and he can see it. He starts smirking. "Sure."

"Well, if you catch me, I'll tell you everything you want to know okay?"

_Where had I heard that before? _

_It was from back when I was living on the farm…but where did I hear it? _

He stands up and stretches. "Hungry?"

"A little, I say, standing. "Know any good places?"

"Of course I do," he says. "I'm a thief after all, and you have to know all your escape route options."

"So where are we going?" I ask.

"There's a little place close by. I don't want to go too far, it's almost 9:30."

"Oh please, I thought you said you were a thief, don't you stay up all night?"

"Hey, I was thinking of you! Aren't you jet-lagged or something?"

I shrug. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm not giving up on adventures."

He smiles. We start walking to the restaurant.

Skye is…nice. Despite what Luna said about him, I find myself enjoying spending time with him. I don't _like_ him, but he's like a really good friend. I feel like I've met him before, like I shared some personal secret with him that I can't remember. I shrug it off though. If I'd met someone this special, I'm sure I'd have remembered.

"Skye. I never thought I'd see you in a place like this, with a girl," someone says.

We were walking home (I think, I really am terrible with directions).

"What's the matter Skye, surprised to see me?" the voice calls.

I turn around to see another silver-haired boy with dark grey eyes staring at us with a smirk on his face. There is something way different about the two of them though, not just the eyes. This silver boy seems darker, more intense; he makes Skye look like a little boy.

"What are you doing here?" Skye asks.

"Introduce your big brother to your girlfriend Skye!"

"She's just a friend," he says. "And if she met you she'd never speak to me again."

"What's that supposed to mean little brother?"

"Don't call me that," he says. "Don't call me anything. Why are you here?"

"Dad sent me. He wanted me to give you this," he says, flicking a card his way. Skye catches it with ease.

"Is that all?"

"Yea, I guess so. But I'll be staying in Paris for a while, just to make sure. Dad's worried."

"He should mind his own business. Since when was he so interested in my life anyway?"

"Since you started-"

"Goodbye brother," Skye says coldly.

His brother only laughs. "You can't run from us Skye. We're your family, no matter how much you hate us."

Skye hadn't spoken to me all the time we walked back. As we arrived at my door I unlocked it and walked in. When he didn't follow I stuck my head out the door to see him walking away.

"Hey!" I hiss.

"Huh?" he asks, turning around.

"Come back here!"

"Why are you whispering?" he asks.

"It's like 10, people are asleep. Come on hurry up!"

He trots back to my room. "What is it?" he asks.

"Now what's the big idea? You take me out and don't even say bye to me?"

He smirks. "This wasn't a date."

I blush. "I didn't mean it like that! I'm not stupid of course it's not a date! I just mean, we went…into the outside realm so you could at least…"

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry alright?"

"Are you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?"

"Why do you care?" he asks, without sounding harsh.

I can't think of anything to say to make him stay. "Do you still want to hear my story?"

He remains looking at the ground. "Does it mean I have to tell you mine?"

I nod.

"Ok."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Commoner's Fun

Luna's POV:

It was an early morning. I thought I heard someone coming out of the room across. Jill's room? Oh no was Skye going to steal something again? I rush out in my pajamas, but everything seems fine.

"What are you doing?" Gill asks, coming out of his room.

"I thought I heard someone going into this room here," I say, pointing to Jill's room.

"Well do you see anyone around?"

"No."

"Exactly."

I roll my eyes. "What are you doing up so early anyway?"

"Nothing. I just get up early that's all."

"Fat chance. What's your motive?"

"Jeez, give me a break! I get up early to watch the sunrise okay?"

"Why?" I ask. "Who wakes up early just for that?"

"I do," he says.

"Well I'm coming with you," I say.

"Who said you could come?"

"Who said I couldn't?"

"I DO!"

"You have no power over me waking up early to watch the sunset!"

"I have power over you not following me!"

"Who said I was following you?"

"You did!"

"Then lead the way, or you'll miss it," I say, winning.

He rolls his eyes and we walk side-by-side, up onto the roof. We sit down and Gill pulls out these cookies from inside his bag. He hands me one. I take it, mutter thanks, and then watch as the sun rises. It's a beautiful sight, and seems to replenish me with its warm glow.

"I guess I do understand why you like coming here," I say. "It's wonderful."

"Isn't it?"

"Maybe I'll come here every day too," I say.

"What?" he asks, getting up? "You can't!"

"And why not?"

"Because this is MY spot!"

"I don't care about that," I say. "The sun isn't yours, and I can watch it still!"

"You're impossible," he says. "Why are you taking everything away from me?"

"What, has that never happened to you before? Jeez you're more of a brat than I thought."

"You're one to talk!"

"Don't be so mean to me," she says. "I'm young!"

"Respect your elders!"

"No fair!"

"You're such a kid," he says, laughing.

"Am not!"

"Look, no one's awake yet and I'm starving. Want to go have some breakfast?"

"Fine, but only because I'm hungry!"

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't a date," I explain.

He rolls his eyes. "Why would I go on a date with you?"

"Meanie," I say.

He smiles. "I'm only joking. Come on, let's go get ready okay?"

"I thought you hated me," I say suddenly.

"Why?"

"We were fighting, and I said some really rude things to you. Sorry."

He shakes his head. "Actually I'm glad someone finally did it," he says. "It's nice to know that you're still considered a regular person you know?"

"I thought you didn't want to be paired with the rest of us commoners," I question.

"I suppose so, but sometimes there's nothing better than having a crepe with a good friend you know? Most upper class people don't do that. They have to go to restaurants and order huge meals three times a day, because they can. It's ridiculous."

"I never thought I'd hear you saying that. Welcome to commoner land then, I'll show you all the ropes, just for today, if you're up for it," I say.

He shrugs. "I guess it couldn't…hurt."

After the crepe place, I take Gill to the mall. We go shopping for commoner clothes, and then play commoner games in the arcade. We watch anime and go all over the place. Paris is so nice when you're touring it with friends. Even gill looked like he was having fun trying to beat me at dancing games.

"Wow, you're good at this," he says.

I shrug. "Don't underestimate me," I say.

He smirks. "I know what that's like. It won't happen again."

I nod. "So what's next?"

"I guess we should head on back. School starts tomorrow doesn't it?"

"Oh yea," I say. I sigh. "I've got to go study. I'll see you Gill!"

"I had fun today!" he says. "A lot more than usual."

"I'm glad I could help then," I say, waving. I head to my dorm and collapse on my bed. What was with these butterflies that were upsetting my tummy?

No.

That's so NOT happening.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Memory Loss

Claire's POV:

Ok, so what if he was here? That didn't mean anything! Someone knocks on my door. I open it up.

"Vaughn, what are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Come with me," he says.

"Where, and why?"

"Can't I just explain once we get there?"

"Fine, let's go," I say.

Vaughn is a nice guy. I trust him.

He took me down to the music room where Skye was playing the piano.

"That's beautiful," I say. "But I still have no idea why you-"

My speech is cut short as Vaughn kisses me.

Ok, scratch that. Vaughn _was_ a nice guy. I _trusted_ him.

I hear a gasp and we break apart to see Kai standing there. He looks angry as he storms off, and then both Vaughn and Skye laugh hysterically.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Oh come on, isn't it obvious by now? Kai totally likes you, and we just need him to make a move. You're welcome," Vaughn says.

"You guys are jerks!" I say, storming off.

Kai's in this little garden, pulling up weeds.

"Kai?" I ask, going in, still angry.

"What do _you_ want?" he asks.

"It's not about me wanting anything. Are you ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"The guys were just trying to give you a little push that's all; they didn't mean anything by it."

"So you're not dating him?"

"No, why would I?"

"I was just afraid you had forgotten our promise, that's all."

I blush rapidly and can't speak. "W-what?" I stutter. "You know…it's…"

"Yea Claire, I'm not that dense. I thought you were avoiding me. Why are you here?"

"I am avoiding you," I sputter.

"Good work," he says, rolling his eyes.

"What are you doing here? I thought you…"

"Remember, I only open up the shack during summer. Apart from that I go to school, just like you."

"Why are you so down then?"

"You're avoiding me," he replies.

"Kai…"

"Look I get it," he says, smiling at me. The smile doesn't reach his eyes. I'm surprised he'd even try that with me. "It was a summer fling. I'll let it go okay?"

"No that's not what I-"

But he's gone.

_"You know, this has been the best summer of my life, but it's still going to end," he says, stroking my hair. My head was in his lap and we were listening to the beat of the water against the waves. It was getting late, but it didn't matter to me._

_"We won't end though," I say. "We'll be like the sea, wild and infinite."_

_He kisses my head. "You say that now, but when the summer ends, what do you think is going to happen? We can't stay together like this forever. All good things come to an end."_

_"I accept that," I say, sighing. "But we have right now. Right now, we can be infinite. And…we'll see each other again ok? And then we have to stay together. It'll be a sign. When we see each other apart from the summer, it means we're destined for something!"_

_He looks at me, smiling. "It's a promise. I…I think I'm falling in love with you," he says, blushing._

_I smile widely. "I love you too."_

_The summer days went by slower after that, for which I was grateful, and we both dreaded the end of the summer. Tensions were running high, and that's when we got into our argument._

_"Where are you going after the summer ends?" Kai asks._

_"Nowhere," I say defensively. If he knew that I basically hid myself away because I was scared of what people would say…_

_"Oh right, that explains the bags huh?" he says, raising his eyebrows._

_"That's just…I'm going to go visit my mom."_

_"Why not during the summer?"_

_"Because I farm during the summer," I say, then feel like slapping myself. Why did I say that?_

_"So what do you do the rest of the year?"_

_I can't think of anything to say. "Nothing."_

_"Claire, what is it?" he pesters._

_"It's nothing okay? It's my problem, not yours!"_

_"I thought we shared our problems now! After all we're…"_

_"We're what? We're nothing! We're two people trying to live out these lives that are eventually just going to fall apart!"_

_"I thought you were the one who said you wanted to fight for it," he says, not raising his voice._

_"Exactly. I'm not going to pressure you into staying with me when you obviously don't want to!"_

_"Is that what this is about? Claire c'mon, you know I'm in love with you! I'd do anything if we could stay together! That's why I want to know where you're going! We might be able to meet up or something like that," Kai says._

_"No!" I yell suddenly. "Fine, you want to know? You want to know that badly where it is that I'm going. I'm leaving okay? I go to school in Paris where no one can be there to piss me off about how I'm a farmer's daughter! No one's going to know who I am, and I LOVE that. I love how no one knows that my dad's dead and I spend my summers on a farm instead of touring the world like them!"_

_"Are you ashamed of your life here?" he asks._

_"Yea, want to know why? Because only FREAKS are farmers! Only people who have no money and too much land become FARMERS."_

_"How dare you?! Your father, your own father was a farmer! Everyone here farms to survive! How could you just…do that to them? The Claire I know would never alienate or defile her own father's name!"_

_"Well guess what, you don't know the real Claire! You've never known the real Claire! You never WILL know the real Claire! The real Claire is the popular rich blonde who goes to school in Paris and who everyone likes, not a random farm girl who falls in love with the first cute guy she meets. I'm not that much of a pushover!"_

_"Fine," he says, exiting my room. "If I don't know you then there's no point of me staying any further. Have a good 3 years, and a life after that. Do whatever you want. We end here."_

_He moves out my sight and at first I just sit there, on the floor, looking out the window, willing him to come back. But he doesn't. He hadn't raised his voice at me during the argument, regardless of how rude I'd been, how loud I'd shouted. I finish up my packing and hurriedly leave the village, without telling anyone why I'd gone home early. I didn't owe anyone here anything. Being here hadn't cleared my mind. Kai had only distracted me from trying to find my dad. These past 2 months had been a complete waste of time. I didn't want a summer fling. I didn't want ANYTHING except my dad! And he was gone! Fate didn't want me to get anything right in life did it?_

_I mounted a horse and waved off the couple of people who'd gone to say goodbye to me. Finally, I could get back to being myself. Masks were hard to uphold, especially when people kept trying to pry them off._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Crepes Drowned in Syrup

Maya's POV:

Paris was full of food, full of delicious, succulent, filling food. NOTHING and I mean NOTHING was going to get in my way of finding that food, and learning to cook it. My inability to pop popcorn hadn't stopped me from almost burning my dorm down, and it most definitely wouldn't me from checking out restaurants. How badly could it go anyway? All I had to do was order food…and eat it.

My excellent, full proof plan completely bombed when I realized I couldn't speak a word of French.

"Uhm, ze pancakes, with ze extra syrup?" I say, attempting a French accent to make myself seem smarter.

_« Excuse my friend here, she means she'd love two orders of crepes with syrup of course! » _someone says behind me, in perfect French.

I spin around.

Oh come on!

Paris is 105 km2 and I was STILL stuck running into Chase?

"Hey," he says, nodding.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Hi!" I say, as exuberantly as possible. He casts me a strange look…I guess I was a little TOO happy.

_Or maybe he's too depressing to ever recognize happiness._

I start chuckling to myself at the thought and catch him rolling his eyes.

"Well thanks for that, I realize now it'd probably be best to learn some French before venturing out into France," I say.

"You realize this NOW?" he asks, sitting in a booth across from me.

"Good job you can repeat everything I say," I reply in a snarky tone, narrowing my eyes at him.

"How did you find this place, the crepes are delicious here!" he says, looking at the menu again.

"I came here for the food, I'm not COMPLETELY useless here Chase!" I say.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to stick around for a while," he replies quietly.

Huh.

_"Bienvenue à la meilleure crêperie de France! Ici, je vous présente vos crêpes! Les boissons, quelles boissons voulez-vous? »_

« OH HELLO! » I sputter. « I MEAN, BONJOUR! »

The waiter looks so stunned for a moment.

Chase rolls his eyes. "I'll do the talking right now," he says. "What do you want to drink?"

"Orange juice," I say.

"Bonjour! Merci pour la nourriture. La femme voudra le jus d'orange, et moi je voudrais un peu de the. Elle ne parle pas le français, c'est pour je lui accompagne. »

« YES MERCI, OUI! » I say.

Chase kicks me underneath the table.

Ok…WHAT GUY KICKS HIS BREAKFAST DATE?!

Ooh my God did I just say breakfast _DATE_?! No, NO, NO!

"What are you doing?" Chase asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"HUH?" I say, too loud.

He sighs. "You've gone all red, what happened?"

"OH I-UH, I HAVE ALLERGIES!" I say, coughing into a napkin.

"Sure," he says, rolling his eyes.

I still didn't even know why he was here following me, but I didn't have the time to ask as the delicious smelling crepes or pancakes or whatever this delicious buttery, warm, sweet, breakfast was placed in front of us. I took up my fork and knife and ate up, blocking out Chase and concentrating on the scrumptious meal before me.

I pay for the meal, and get up, grabbing my coat. I slip it on and exit into the rain, skipping joyfully, without a care in the world.

"HEY WAIT UP!"

Of course…the ever-present storm cloud.

"Where are you heading?" he asks.

"Home!" I say, resuming into my euphoria. "It's really important! I have the best plan right now! I'm going to go write a review of all the food and such, it'll be amazing! Then I just have to figure out how they made it, and then I'll be good to go!"

"What?"

"I'm going to write everything down and put it on a cooking show and the food blog I have. I wonder if got any new followers lately!" I ramble on.

"Hold the phone, what are you talking about?" Chase asks, taking my arm to stop me from prancing around.

"I'm here for the food, or don't you remember? This is part of it! I love food, and I have a blog about it and everything, it's so much fun! And there are things like food raves all over the place, it'll be totally amazing once I actually make it. I'm still sort of unknown, but things will pick up eventually!"

"You have…a food blog?"

"Yep! And there's another thing too, there's a channel that I come on sometimes for the recipes and cooking instructions!"

"Don't you think you should learn to actually cook before you teach other people to?"

I blush crimson. "Why do you always have to shoot me down like that Chase?" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Oh," he says, looking at me. "Sorry."

"Huh?"

"What's wrong now?" he asks. "I said I'm sorry. I don't mean to be all…pessimistic; it's something I should change I suppose."

"And you're starting with me?" I ask him, furrowing my brow.

"Well yea," he says. "I mean, I know you pretty well from having worked with you back in Waffle Town, but I've never stretched out to actually be your friend or whatever. You know, life isn't the same without a couple of friends."

"Wait, so you're using me as your escape from pessimistic thoughts?"

"You don't have to think like that," he says, blushing.

Had I just made CHASE blush?

"I want to," I say, looking at the ground, a tiny smile on my face forming. "It's like…it's like I'm your friend or something."

"Huh?"

"You rely on your friends," I say, "to help you in hard times. So we'll make a pact ok? We'll befriend each other and help one another out!"

"I guess so, if it prevents fewer explosions," Chase smiles.

I roll my eyes and start laughing. "That was one time, and I still couldn't manage to pick off Gill, so I'm looking for a new method this time."

We both start laughing. "So where to?" he asks.

"GOD CHASE, I told you, we have to go home!"

"Oh come on, there's still so much food to try out. We'd waste time travelling. Buy a phone or something, type notes on it to save for later. We're going pastry shopping!"

We link arms and stroll down the street looking at all the food and smelling the pastries.

Although I had no idea what I was doing, I was sure this was the start of…something.

**Author's Note!**

**I'm actually not sure if I'm formatting this properly -_-**

**OH WELL HERE WE GO!**

**So the past couple chapters have been...sorta ok...but short. AND I DESPISE SHORT CHAPTERS. So, I've preloaded my computer with long, beautifully dramatic ones on the weekend! And soon, SOON MY DEAR AWESOME READERS, you shall be presented with the touchy heart felt stuff that made me cry while I wrote it at 2:00 a.m. yesterday! **

**If you're going to do something at 2am, let it be productive, and for Harvest Moon lovers.**

**OH AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OR CRITICISMS, TELL ME! **

**XX AudaciousAdventures**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Shot Through the Heart

Jill's POV:

A slice of sunlight strikes me in the face and I open my eyes quickly, yawning and stretching. My fist hits a body, and I let out a small shriek, rolling off the bed.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I yell, rubbing my back.

"Morning," Skye says, stretching.

I sigh in relief. Wait. What? Did I say relief? Why would I be relieved to wake up with a thief in my bed?!

"What are you doing here?" I ask. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Well, after we spent all night together," he says, winking. I find myself blushing. I DON'T BLUSH. WHAT'S THIS?! "We were watching some anime or something and I guess we both fell asleep."

"Some thief you are, couldn't even sneak out before I fell asleep hmm?"

He laughs. "Whatever you say," he says, stretching.

I quickly get out of bed, grab a shower and change into black leggings, a yellow lace tank top and a blue and yellow varsity jacket. My signature ponytail perfected the casual look. I walk back into my room to see Skye's nose lodged into my diary again.

"What's with you and female diaries?" I ask him, hopping onto my bed.

"You seem to write in this quite a lot," Skye says, winking.

"You seem to be quite nosy," I say, taking the book from him and putting it into the inside pocket of my jacket, "in addition to your failed thievery."

"How would you know I haven't already stolen something of yours?" he asks, leaning close to my face.

"Yuck, morning breath," I joke, pushing him away. "Oh by the way let's go shopping, I need to pick up some school supplies."

"Why do I have to go?" he complains.

"Because I can't speak French properly," I explain. "PLUS I'M AWESOME, WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH ME?!"

"Hmm, maybe because I have a life?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Ouch," I say, feigning hurt. "Fine, but don't blame me when I end up on the 6:00 news as the girl who got raped and ended up in a suitcase floating downstream while trying to order fries."

"You order fries as your school supplies?" he laughs.

"Sure, that's what wrong about the situation," I say, rolling my eyes. I grab my over-shoulder bag, and my keys. "See you!"

I close the door behind me, roll my eyes and attempt to find the exit of the school.

_Did I already pass that vending machine?_ I think to myself, wandering aimlessly. How was I supposed to go get lost in the outside world when I couldn't even find the DOOR to get outside?

"Pony!" someone yells.

Whoa, Parisians have some WEIRD names.

"PONY!" the guy yells again.

Jeez Pony, get a clue, a hot guy could be calling you. People are so deaf sometimes-

A hand descends on my shoulder and spins me around. I blink my eyes a couple of times.

"It's Jill…Jill Suzumiya," I say, biting my lip.

Oh God, he was cute. Bandana, with brown hair peeking out, tanned skin, the most glorious eyes I'd ever seen. What was with this school harbouring cute guys to watch me fail miserably at life?

"Sorry," he says, laughing. He plays around with my ponytail. "I just remember seeing this somewhere."

"Don't worry about it," I say. "Anyway, what can I help you with?"

"Actually, you just seemed a little lost. I mean, I know I transferred back to the school a little later than everyone else, but you just seem…freshman lost."

I go a shade of pink. "I'm new."

"Really?" he asks, as if it was the weirdest thing in the world.

"Yep," I respond. "Is that weird?"

"Just a bit yea, they usually don't let in people this late into the 4 years unless they speak really good French, or they have amazing connections."

"Then I guess I'll be your scientific outlier," I say, sighing. "I speak a bit of French, but I can't get my way out of the SCHOOL long enough to test my theory."

He laughs. "You couldn't find a makeshift tour guide or something?"

"Nope," I respond. "My friends are gone. This is what I get for waking up late."

"Then I'm glad," he smiles, winking. "Now I get to be the tour guide of a lovely ponytail girl."

I beam back at him. "Thanks!"

"I'm Kai by the way, pleased to meet your acquaintance."

Then, Mr. Kai here does something I've only SEEN in those old movies.

You know, where the guy takes your hand and kisses it?

WAY BETTER than you think it'd be.

But, not so much better for what happened next…

"JILL!" Skye yells, and he's standing at my side with my wrist in his hand in two seconds.

"Whoa, have you ever thought about joining the cross country-"

"Shut up," he says angrily.

I'd actually never seen him angry. Even now, it wasn't so much as anger as annoyance.

"What are you doing?" he asks Kai.

Kai folds his arms over his chest. "I'd like to ask you the same thing."

They share a mental moment for a couple seconds, but the second I shift my weight, Skye's grip gets tighter.

"What do you want from me Kai?" he asks.

"Nothing. I didn't even know this was the girl until you came and went crazy," Kai says. "I was going to show Jill where the malls were, or at least where the exit was."

"I would've told her that," he says.

"Then by all means," Kai responds, bowing. "But I'm telling you, the more you try and posses everything around you, the more they'll fly past you so fast you'll never see them again. You should've came last night, Vaughn and I know that you knew about. You skipped out with her then?"

Skye rolls his eyes and turns around, turning my wrist at an awkward angle. Kai walks away and for a moment we're frozen like that. Then I whimper and he drops the hand.

"The exit is this way."

Skye's different for the rest of the trek to the mall. I pick out books and things I hadn't gotten back in the U.S. People keep laughing at me as I walk through the aisles. I look around me then, and notice Skye's…gone.

"Hello beautiful," I hear his voice cut through. I peer around the aisle and see a short girl, with short brown hair, tickled pink by him standing there talking to her.

I can't seem to tear myself away from the situation, even though I know it's going to hurt way more than it should. I mean, we weren't dating right? He was so thick he probably couldn't tell that I…

That I what? Liked him? Loved him? No. This was a crush. This was the crush of the stupid farm girl I'd been so many years ago. This was the crush of the girl who'd fallen for the blonde playboy of the valley, even though he'd ended up with a girl who looked…exactly like the one Skye was wooing now.

The déjà vu made me want to curl up in a ball and hide forever.

This was still Lumina.

And she'd see right through me.

"Skye, so good to see you again," she says.

THEY KNEW EACH OTHER?!

_Shut up Jill, just shut up and listen._

"I suppose, but it's truly more pleasurable for me," he says, doing the same kissing of the hand trick Kai had done.

What, was it a Parisian thing?

"Skye, you haven't changed at all," she says.

"And you? Are you still dating that curious blonde fellow?"

"Who Rock? Oh no, not anymore. We broke up a while ago. He's too much of a hassle, even halfway around the world."

"Then maybe now, you'll accept my proposition?"

"Are you still on about that?" she laughs.

"Of course beautiful, I've been waiting for this."

"Then fine, we'll go out."

Oh.

Oh hold on.

Did…did I just lose out…to Lumina…for the second time in my life?

AND WAIT…SOMETHING WASN'T CLICKING HERE…how did Skye know Lumina from her days of dating Rock in the Valley?

My thoughts were cut short when she kissed him, and he smiled against the kiss.

You know that feeling you get when you know something's going to fail, but you try anyway? Then, once you've tried, you kick yourself when you get hurt, because you _knew_ that it was going to happen, and walked right into it?

Imagine that happening, 50 times over and over and over again, constantly replayed in your mind.

I've made so many mistakes that no one's forgiven me for. My own mother hadn't forgiven me for being my father's daughter. It was something I'd never be able to fix.

The entire Paris trip had been in vain. I couldn't change who I was just because I was in a new place. I couldn't be anyone else. I was always going to be Jill Suzumiya.

And that, that was the cold reality that hit me as I rushed to the cashier, then flew to the dark movie theater, where no one would question my tears.

**Author's Note!**

**See I figured, it was time for my Skye X Jill lovers (me included) to get a little sadness. AND THERE IT IS! I feel like these chapters are always the longest, mostly because I was just marrying Skye while gaming.**

**AND THE FANGIRL EMOTIONS ARE ALL HERE!**

**More chapters soon! TOMORROW! School's insane, this is my escape :3**

**Xx AudaciousAdventures**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Was it My Fault?

Claire's POV:

You know what I like about Paris? It's huge. So, if you're feeling like you're about to rip your own head off and stomp on it for being so utterly stupid, you might be in luck. You can find many places to cower in defeat and cry at your mistakes.

And I love that.

Because Paris never judges your tears.

Parisians cry all the time! We go to movies, we go to French bakeries, I see people crying everywhere! So me randomly bulldozing through the street as fast as I could, well that didn't do much of anything to disturb Paris.

But then, my phone started ringing.

And it was HIS ringtone.

So I probably should've evaporated or something, from all the tears, and being so angry. I couldn't possibly answer the phone and carry on a conversation with the boy I'd fallen in love with, while I was crying my eyes out.

But I did.

Why?

I'm pathetic, and I really needed his voice.

"Hello?" I say, and my voice remains even. HA, PERFECT!

"Claire, is that you?" Kai asks.

"Yea it's me," I say.

"Have you seen Skye around?"

"Uhm…no," I say, scanning the area. "Why?"

"He's just been acting strangely, I think his brother's in town again," he says.

"Oh my God, remember what happened last time? He almost got CAUGHT trying to steal from some museum!" I whisper, whipping my head around trying to find him.

"I know, that's why I'm worried. And the way he's acting, he'll do anything to find the opportunity to seek out a rich girl with a thing for cute guys."

"I'll let you know okay?" I ask him.

"Sure. Oh, and do you know if Jill Suzumiya is with him?"

"Jill Suzumiya? I've never heard of her."

"I know, she's new here. She always has her hair in a ponytail, fairly cute, hangs around with our silver-haired friend?"

Cute?

Who was this girl?

"I'll keep an eye out for her too, but why do you need her?"

"OH!" his voice shoots up. "I just…wanted to ask her…uhm…things."

_What the hell does that mean?_

"You like her?"

"Well…yea, I guess I do."

That was fine.

It was perfectly fine for him to like some girl I'd never heard of. Some faceless new girl in a sea of people, with a ponytail, who hangs out with thieves, was DEFINITELY PERFECT for him.

"I hope it works out," I say, but my voice cracks in all the wrong places and I sniffle._ JESUS._

"Claire…" he begins, but I shut my phone off.

So, Jill Suzumiya huh? I've got to see the living form of my heartbreak with my own eyes.

Kai's POV:

Why did I say that? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY?!

I don't like Jill! I barely know Jill! I like Claire! I'm IN LOVE with Claire! And now, what the hell is going to happen now?

WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?!

"Alright, pull it together. I just have to find Skye. It's priority that he doesn't get himself expelled. He might've been with Jill first, but he definitely didn't stay the entire night. He wouldn't have been so tired after talking with a girl. The idiot flirt loves it," I say to myself, looking around my room throwing dity clothes into a hamper.

I rush out of the school and begin my search for the silver-haired nuisance.

Jill's POV:

Wouldn't it be great if life was like the movies? Life could be cinematic, and dramatic, with the PERFECT ending, and that would just be the beginning. Love could leave so much to imagination, we forgot to fill in the part where your heart breaks into a million pieces, even though it should be strong and smart, and less easy to fall, it wasn't.

But I didn't love Skye.

If I did, it would've taken many more movies for me to finally get up and tell myself Lumina didn't see me. Whoever I was now, I could be her.

A light rain had begun to fall. I pulled the hood over my head and left the theater, disoriented from crying so much. My eyes were no doubt puffy balls of redness, but my bangs hopefully covered them slightly.

"Jill!" Skye's voice calls.

_No._

_Not now. Not now with my puffy eyes and my fractured heart._

I keep walking.

"Did you say Jill? Jill Suzumiya?" I hear Lumina say.

A tear trickles down my face. I wipe it quickly. There's a bus, leaving right across the street.

"JILL!" Skye calls out, louder this time.

I run across the street like an idiot, pulling out my bus pass, and show it to the driver. The thing had cost me $100 but now, I could see it was worth it. I plonked on the empty bus with no idea where I was headed. All I knew was that Skye had seen a glimpse of my face, stone cold and crying underneath a frail little hood that would do nothing when it began to pour.

Skye's POV:

"I guess she didn't hear me," I say, shrugging.

_What's up with Jill?_

"Did you mean Jill Suzumiya?" Lumina repeats.

Should I tell her the truth? Jill had ran away for a reason.

"No I don't think so, I can' really remember if she told me her last name or not."

"Our Jill would probably never be wearing anything but those weird farm clothes," Lumina says, laughing. "So, where should we go?"

"Let's eat," I say, winking. "I've got something to give to you."

She smiles.

The same materialistic Lumina from back in Forget-Me-Not Valley was standing right in front of me. Jill Suzumiya was from that valley. We'd never met, but I distinctly remember meeting Claire there. The two had been from the same Valley, but at different times. While Jlil had lived there for a short period of time, when her father died, she was pulled immediately. Claire, she'd been in the Valley for years, trying to farm, trying to live out her father's dreams. But as she got to high school, some of that dream vanished, and now she only goes in the summertime. Claire and Jill have a lot more in common than they think.

We stand at the doorway of a creperie and I open the door for her, smiling warmly. She blushes and sits in a booth. I take up a menu and look out the window behind Lumina's head. It's raining today. At least it wasn't raining in here.

Our waiter comes over just as a loud screech of tires and screams are heard.

But they weren't just any screams.

I knew those screams. We'd seen horror movies together.

I knew _her_ scream.

"Jill."

**Author's Note:**

**I'm going to DEFINITELY keep writing this story. My plan got deleted...so I reread everything and remembered, and wrote it up again. AND GOD DANGIT I LOVE HARVEST MOON. **

**Did I do the cliffhanger properly?**

**Probably not.**

**But to kill you all...the next part comes tomorrow. MWAAHAHAHA! Just so I don't look like I spend all my nights writing these. PSH NO, I TOTALLY HAVE A LIFE!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Eyes on Fire

Jill's POV:

"No, no, no," I repeat, knelting to the ground and cradling the little girl's body in my hands. "Come on, you've got to open your eyes okay? You've got to make it."

The crash had been major. There was a gaping cut in my forehead and I knew my leg was some sort of bloody disguting mess but I felt nothing. There was a little girl, who'd been trying to get off. She'd got caught in the doors when the SUV rammed into us.

And she was barely breathing.

"Who-who are you?" she chokes out.

"My name's Jill," I say, crying. "What's yours?"

"My name's May," she says.

"Why are you here all by yourself May?"

"Mommy left. I wanted to…find her. It's been so long," she cries.

"Do you get sad when you think of her leaving?" I ask.

She nods. "It hurts more than now."

"I'll tell you something right now May. If you make it through this, this one day, you'll find her. That's all you have to think about. No matter what happens okay? No matter how much it hurts, or how many times your memories hurt you, you've just got to think; the sun is coming up tomorrow, I'm getting up tomorrow. Life will get better."

"Promise?" she asks.

I nod. "Just make it through okay?"

"Okay," she says. "Can I shut my eyes?"

I shake my head. "They're so pretty, I want to see them," I say.

"You have pretty eyes Jill," she says, smiling.

I smile back at her, and I'm crying so hard I can't see straight.

"What's wrong?"

"I have my dad's eyes. He left a long time ago too."

"Sometimes, I think granddad doesn't want me around, because I remind him of mommy."

My heart breaks, the core shattering. "He loves you May. I'm sure of it. Did you know my family was the same way? I thought my Mommy didn't want me around, because I look like my dad. And I was wrong. It wasn't that he didn't love you, or didn't want you around. Your granddad loves you more than anything in the world. That's why he seems sad sometimes. He loves both of you so much, he doesn't know sometimes if he's doing a good enough job. And that's just how parents operate. They don't ask, they don't pester you about it, but they want to know they're doing an ok job."

May starts crying. "What if I didn't tell him he was doing a good job?"

"Do you like to smile a lot May?" I ask, tears dripping steadily down my face. I can here the sirens all around me, I can feel the crowds gathering around.

She nods.

"Then that's proof enough. Every parent loves to see their kid smile, and laugh, and have fun. It's just something they live for. They don't give up their dreams for you, you become their dreams. You being happy, living, being a kid, that's their dream, to see you happy and successful. So you've got to keep smiling okay? Because, your smile, that'll remind him of Mommy too. And he'll be so glad, he'll be so glad to see that both of you are happy."

"How do you know all this?" she asks, like I was some role-model or something.

"Because May," I say. "I'm just like you."

"So I can turn out like you?" she asks, her eyes wide.

I nod. "Just take it day by day, and always smile."

"Then I'll be like you?"

I nod, crying even harder.

She smiles so wide it looks like it hurts. "OKAY! I wanna be pretty and smart like you! I just gotta smile right?"

"And be happy," I say. "Don't just pretend! You've got to be happy!"

The infirmiry comes and asks if she has any relatives. She doesn't so they load her in the gurney. I attempt to stand, but my left leg buckles and I tumble to the ground, hitting my head with a crack on the pavement. My left arm bursts out in pain and my head feels like it's on fire.

They say it takes 5 minutes for a bullet to start hurting. The first 5 minutes are fine, you'll be able to move, walk, whatever.

But after that?

After that comes the pain that you knew was coming, but avoided it for so long.

That was like life. The first 5 minutes were your childhood. Ut after it was over, you found yourself crying a lot, and working a lot, and that was the pain.

Life was like a bullet shot.

But physical pain can be dealt with, can be cured.

Things that happen in your mind do not.

Id always thought it'd been my mother who'd pushed me to fill out the applications to Paris, it'd been her that wanted me gone. And I was so wrong. I'd blamed her because I was scared. I was just like May, scared that my mother and family hated me because of dad. I blamed myself on such an high level that I cowered inside whenever _I_ saw my mother. It'd been me who thought everything. It'd been me who sent myself here, like it would heal me, like it would take the bullet out.

It took a little girl for me to see that.

"JILL, JILL!" I hear a voice call. It's so loud, and I just want to dull out.

"How do you know her?"

"Friend, family friend. We go to the same school. I'm the only family she's got."

People lift me, and I cry out in pain, willing my senses to dull out so I can't feel it.

"My name's Skye," he says. "Hers is Jill Suzumiya."

"Skye what's happening?" I hear a high female voice.

"Wait Lumina, I guess we'll have to meet up later. I have to go with her."

"It is her, Jill Suzumiya?"

"Yea," he says. "It is."

"SKYE!" someone else yells. 2 people, running.

"What happened?" a female asks.

"There was a crash. Jill's hurt," Skye says, his voice calm.

"Holy crap!" a boy.

"What's going to happen?"

"Meet me at the hospital!"

Skye speaks a different language to the guy as I'm strapped into the gurney and sit in the back of a truck. I can't make out what he's saying and everything is going dizzy. I can feel myself slipping from consciousness, then a surge in my right hand brings my eyes open.

"Don't do this to me," he whispers.

Skye, I know him.

"You're one to talk," I mutter, choking on blood that seeps into my mouth. "Thanks for the heartbreak there."

"What?"

"Lumina. You know don't you? About me?"

"Yea, I know," he says.

"How?"

"It's a small valley. You were too tiny to know very many people back then," he says.

I stop talking. Memories hurt. I close my eyes again, feeling them get heavier and heavier.

"No, please," he says, squeezing my hand again. But the eyelids keep getting so heavy.

_I'm sorry._

"Jill, don't leave me!"

"Why do you care?" I strangle out, my body burning.

"Because, you're weird, and I can't ignore you! I can't go through the halls winking at you to make you fall down a flight of stairs! My 'magic' doesn't work on you!"

"So I'm just a weirdo to you?"

"No, you're," he stops. "I don't know what to say."

"Exactly," I laugh sickly, then cough. Blood spatters on my hand. "I'm nothing. I'm a face and a ponytail."

My eyelids finally drop and I hear the heart monitors beeping wildly and one last thing.

"No Jill, you're the floating dandelion seed carrying me far away from who I used to be."

**Author's Note:**

**DID YOU CRY?! I did, but I'm a sap for death. **

**What? That doesn't sound right.**

**Anyway, you'll learn about the dandelion thing soon. I'VE MADE IT TO BE QUITE INTRIGUING! And Maya, Chase, Gill and Luna will be coming back in FIGHTING in the next couple chapters. It'll be awesome, it'll be amazing, and it'll be...maybe tomorrow?**

**I still have to write it. AND I'M TIRED. Weight class on Thursday. Football on Wednesday. Gym is going to break my brain. Thank the Lord I don't have it first period. **

**ANYWAY, NEVERMIND MY RAMBLING!**

**Xx AudaciousAdventures**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Broken Masks and Scarred Faces

Maya's POV:

Chase and I were making our way to a famous little crêperie for some more recipes when we heard this loud commotion coming from a few blocks down. People were speaking all kinds of French, and I couldn't understand any of it. But by the way Chase's eyes were bulging, and the way he suddenly grabbed my hand and started running, I knew it couldn't be good.

We ran through the little streets, past people crying, past more little shops. And then came the sirens. Loud, screeching sirens that could only mean one thing: someone was dying. Our pace quickened and Chase wouldn't look me in the eye until we finally got to the scene.

But his amethyst eyes didn't reach mine. My eyes were only locked on the bloody mess before me, and the high ponytail of the girl that I'd only just met cradling a little kid.

I felt faint. I fell back into Chase's arm and he held me up.

"What happened?" I ask no one in particular.

"The bus there lost control and slammed head first into the bus doors. The little girl got caught in the doors and the bus ended up ramming into the street pole and toppling over. I don't know about that girl though," someone says.

"That girl? It can't be…you don't think it's…" I say, looking at Chase.

"Jill."

Claire's POV:

"Oh my God WHAT HAPPENED?!" I scream at Kai.

"If I knew I'd tell you!" he says.

"You guys!" I hear a girl yell, running toward us.

It's Maya, the girl who almost burned down the school last year, and Chase? I never thought I'd see them together, the two hated each other.

"Maya, Chase!" Kai says.

"That's not…?"

"Jill Suzumiya, and Skye," I say. "They're going to the hospital. We're following them. Come on!"

Kai's POV:

Claire had known Skye for as long as I had. They'd been friends, bonding by the fact that they both had secrets they didn't want to keep. I was friends with Skye because initially, he seemed interesting, he seemed like he didn't want anyone around. He was a challenge. It didn't hurt that all the girls were in love with him, and by default, they wanted to get to know me too. But I'd never seen him the way he looked in that ambulance. I'd seen him annoyed, angry, but not this. I'd never seen him genuinely concerned with another person's life.

"Do you think he likes her or something?" I ask Claire as we find our way to the nearest hospital.

"No," Claire says. "One girl he just met isn't going to change all of Skye. My guess is she reminds him of something, and that something is one thing he'd been trying to forget for a while. Yet, the reason why he isn't shying away from her astounds me. He doesn't know if she's rich or not, so what could he be using her for now?"

"He isn't just using her Claire. He's…doing something, but not using her. He wouldn't be so concerned if he was using her, he'd be looking for another method."

"Then what do you suppose he was doing with Lumina?"

"He must be scared," I insist. "Of losing her perhaps? It would make sense. If she reminds him of something that he'd lost, losing it again would be even more upsetting than the first time. What do you suppose Jill is thinking?"

Claire's face is filled with determination. "She likes him. But she's stronger now. She can accept that she likes him; she knows that she's much more fragile. You said that they left campus together? Then how did he end up in a restaurant with Lumina while she gets into a bus accident? It doesn't add up right now."

"She'll make it won't she?" I ask suddenly.

Claire stops her face drained and somewhat still. "Jill Suzumiya, that's the girl you like isn't it?"

I freeze. Can I come out now? Can I tell her the truth after all that happened between us? "I-"

"You don't need to answer," Claire cuts in, walking forward again. "It's not important right now."

I wanted to tell her then. I saw her face and I knew that she was hurt. I wanted to tell her that it was her that I liked; I wanted to tell her that Jill was just someone I'd met. But the words didn't come out. My mind was frozen in this state of confusion. Did this mean she was jealous? Or was this was only making her hate me more?

Maya and Chase followed behind us. I took the time to talk to Chase.

"Hey," I say.

Noticing my attention on him, he took one big step forward and left Maya behind, falling in line with me. Maya ran up to talk to Claire. I sighed.

"Hi," he says. "Kai right?"

"Yea," I say. "Crazy things are happening aren't they? You never really think anything like this actually happens to you."

Chase nods. "That's the funny thing about life I guess. You never truly know what's going to happen to you. You can't prepare for life you know?"

"But then they happen, and you start to remember how many people were trying to help you prevent it," I say. "And then you feel ungrateful, or foolish."

"There's nothing you can do to change those things but people blame themselves anyway. I think it's easier that way. It's easier to put the blame on someone, something, than to admit you had no power over it anyway."

We hurry and run to the hospital and see Skye waiting in a chair with his head in his hands. Claire stands in front of him and pulls him up by the collar.

"What were you thinking?!" she demands.

"What?" he asks harshly.

"You just let her go?! You two were together, what happened?!"

"She left; she disappeared while I was catching up with friends!"

"Well here's a tip moron, you don't start hitting on girls while you're going on a trip with them! That's so rude and you should've known better! Maybe we all wouldn't be waiting in a damn hospital if you'd just learnt to keep your ego in check!"

Skye shakes her out of his grasp and stands up, walking away.

"Where are you going?!" Claire demands.

"Home," he says calmly, all traces of emotion lost. "If I was the one who caused her all this pain, then maybe I shouldn't be around her."

"You can't just run away!" she states.

"I'm not," he says. "But she'll never accept an 'apology' from me, and I'll never give one to her. So it's best if I just stay away from her."

"That's not going to-"

"Leave it," Chase says. "The coward has made his decision."

Skye doesn't say anything. He walks past all of us and slinks back into the rain.

"That's not fair!" Claire says suddenly, shaking with anger.

"Why should he be able to walk around all fine, while she has to go on hurting?!" she says, kicking the open air. Then, she slaps a hand over her mouth and stares wide-eyed at me.

_"She likes him. But she's stronger now. She can accept that she likes him, she knows that she's much more fragile..."_

Claire…

The doctor comes out of the room and tells us we're okay to come in.

Claire steps in last.

Jill is attached to so many different machines it's scary.

"She's sleeping," the doctor explains. "She took a blow to the head, broke her left arm, and injured her left leg. The leg will heal well; she just needs the splinter for a couple days. The arm…that'll take 2 weeks. The head could affect anything; we just have to wait until she wakes up."

I nod. What was going to happen now? Would we all stay?

"What do we do now?" Maya asks, voicing my thoughts.

"What can we do?" Chase asks. "She'll be awake soon, and she'll want someone there when she wakes up. But we all have to go sooner or later. We'll take it in shifts. We've got 8 hours until curfew. So Maya and I will take the first 4 and you and Claire can take the rest. I hope she doesn't stay asleep for too long though."

I nod. Claire is silent.

We leave the hospital and make our way back to the dorms.

"We might as well do something for the next 4 hours, it doesn't make sense to go all the way back and forth," I say.

Claire nods.

"Uhm, do you want to eat something?"

"Sure," she responds.

We walk together, side by side, sifting through the crowds and end up at this little corner restaurant I'd never been to. I order a burger and some fries, while Claire gets a salad.

"I didn't know you were a salad girl," I say, laughing a little.

She shrugs. "People change."

She wasn't talking about the food.

Claire had become cold. She wouldn't look at me; she shoved salad in her mouth to keep from having an awkward silence. She didn't want to be here, with me. She didn't want to be reminded of what would never be repeated. And I understood that.

I understand what it's like to not want to wake up the next morning, when the thing that had been keeping you down for so long suddenly appears. But who cares? You do get up; you go out and try to do things. And sometimes, it's hard. Sometimes, getting up and stretching is hard.

But the thing is, once you get up, there's no going back. The day you had the will to live as a baby, was the day that you decided it was your time. You can't stop the time flow just because things get hard. How are you supposed to move forward by doing that? And sometimes, moving forward didn't mean forgetting that your problem ever existed, sometimes it meant forgiving yourself, giving things another chance. Sometimes, all moving forward meant was letting go of what had happened, and grasping what you had right in front of you.

I didn't want to let go of Claire.

I didn't want to forget the way she'd made me feel, or the way she could light up a room.

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes flicked up at mine for a moment, settling into them for the first time.

"I'm sorry that I ever hurt you, or that things couldn't work out back at the Valley. I'm sorry that things aren't the best now, and that you try and avoid me most of the time. I'm sorry that I was never a good boyfriend, or that I can't speak French as well as you. I'm sorry that I'm here, trying now, to get you to forgive me. I just…I won't live with the regret that I met you. I can't. I know that I met you for a reason, and…I'm happy to look for it."

"Kai," she begins. She sighs and shakes her head. "I…I don't know what you want from me."

Silence.

"Do you want me to forgive you? Then I do. But I still don't understand what we're supposed to be doing."

"I…"

"See, you don't know either. The fact of the matter is fate or not, we weren't made to be together. And, I'm okay with that. I've moved on okay?"

I get up, unable to look at her. "Right."

"Kai, wait," she says.

I throw some money on the table and take a deep breath.

"It's fine Claire, that's all I wanted anyway. I'll see you in 4 hours okay?"

"Wait, so you're just leaving?"

"Yea, I've got some things to do."

"But-"

"I'll see you okay?" I say, bolting away.

It was no use.

I'd put myself on the line and gotten blown away in the wind.

There was no future for Claire and me, no matter what I wanted.

And that, that wouldn't change for all the hopes and dreams in the world.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Quagmire of Epic Proportions

Maya's POV:

"Hey Chase, why'd you want me to stay behind?" I ask him, if only to hear the answer.

He shrugs. "Kai seemed to have some tension with Claire, and I think it'd be best for them to clear it up before school starts, you know?"

"Oh, right."

So here's the truth, the cold hard truth straight from the mind of a teenage girl travelling around Paris with a cute guy paying for her pastries.

I don't like him.

And everyone can just go on ahead and accept that. I don't!

"Plus, I'd feel bad if I left you all by yourself with someone you didn't know very well," he adds on.

"I don't know _you_ very well," I challenge.

He smiles. "True, but we're getting there, I think," he says. "So, 20 questions."

"Seriously? 20 questions in a hospital?"

"There's no time like the present!"

"Ok, you go first then," I say.

"Perfect! What's your favourite food?"

"Oh my God Chase you MUST hate me! Uhm…grilled yam? No! Sweet Potato cake! NO! Yam rice? Herb fish? Sushi? CHEESE?! But you know, it has to be…delicious!"

"Ok," Chase laughs. "When's your birthday?"

"I was born in the fall, the 24th of October."

"Who did you live with before you came here?"

"Why are you asking this, you practically lived beside me?"

"Still, answer the question while I think of a better one!"

"Fine," I say, laughing. "I lived in the Inn with my mom Colleen, and my father Jake. Yolanda, my grandma, took you in."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"None."

"So, were you a spoiled little brat?"

My mouth drops open. "Does it look like I was spoiled? I mean, I can't actually COOK!"

"But you've been able to eat a lot of really awesome food! Plus you probably can't cook because your parents do it for you!"

"NOT TRUE! I don't know how to cook because I never got the chance to until I was older! Nobody actually trusts me enough to let me cook anyway so how was I supposed to fix it?"

"What got you so interested in food?"

"I don't know," I say. "It just…brings people together. My mom and dad run an Inn, they aren't always available. And sometimes they fight, like all couples. But food, it brings us together somehow. We don't have to worry about being separated or anything. We can be a real family when we eat you know?"

He nods. "Ok, my turn. What's your family like?"

"Well, I…my family is..." he pauses, thinking over his answer. "My family is normal. We just…don't stay in touch very often anymore."

"Oh come on, what family is 'normal'?" I ask him.

"Mine," he says shyly.

"Come on, I answered your questions!"

"It's not like I asked you 20," he says.

"But you asked me a couple, and now I'm asking you!" I say.

"Well hold on, I didn't ask you any hard ones!" he says.

"Fine! Go on!"

"Boyfriends?" he asks, not looking at me.

I burst out laughing.

Smooth.

OK, let's get one thing straight; I am a girl, who's lived with her parents, in a little Inn, working FOR her parents, most of the time in uniform because my hours SUCK. How many boyfriends do you think I can get?!

_"That'll be $7.50," I say, a daring glint in my eye as I take in the stranger's chiselled features._

_"Here's 10, keep the change, I'm on the road," he says._

_I put in the order and turn back to him, my long blonde hair flipping in the wind of the fan. "Where are you headed?"_

_"Sometimes, travellers are best to not talk about their destinations. It's not always the endpoint that matters, really, mostly the journey."_

_So he was hot and smart? It was a good thing there was only one Inn in this town. _

_"Think you could make a quick pit-stop? This little town will be lonely without you," I say, twirling a curl of long blonde hair in my finger._

_"Pit-stop? With food like this, I'll never want to leave," he winks, taking the dish out of my hand._

_We share a dinner under the candlelight, and the stranger tells me all about himself and his voyage. Then, we fall in love, and I persuade him to stay with me. Of course, he tells me the only way we can stay united forever is marriage. We get married, and people throw rice at us. It's a glorious beautiful day, and all is well in the world._

"Uhm…hello?" Chase asks.

I snap out of my daydream. "Chase…I live in Waffle Town. My supply of 'boyfriends' would have to come from people who knew me. And the people, who knew me, knew that I was a complete weirdo. So, no, I've never in my life dated a boy."

"Whoa," he says. "Me neither."

"You've never dated a girl?!"

He laughs. "Of course I have. I've never in my life dated a boy, just like you."

"Wow, look at all we have in common," I say, rolling my eyes.

Claire and Kai come in for their shifts and we walk back to the dorms. Just before that, Chase pulls me into a grocery store.

"Ready to become my little science project?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

I'd never seen Chase so…alive before. He'd always seemed quiet, what was going on here?

"Of course Master Chase," I say dutifully, bowing. "What are we doing exactly?"

"I am going to teach you how to cook the most amazing, shining, green herb dish!" he says triumphantly.

"What do I have to do for you then?"

"Don't burn down the kitchen," he says, winking. We grab a shopping cart. "First thing's first, let's get the ingredients!"

"Okay, we need herbs, fish, cooking oil, a cutting board," I say, listing off ingredients as I go along.

"You're good at this," he says, laughing.

"I run a food blog and a cooking show, what did you think?!"

"Hey, I just forget, since you can't actually cook," he says snarkily.

"Oh yea, just like I forget you have a heart since you never actually use it," I respond.

We both laugh at each other and start picking out the right herbs, and the best fish. Finally, our hands loaded with bags, we make our way to the kitchen area back at the dorms. I see the room clear out as soon as they lay eyes on me.

"Good, I was hoping they'd leave," Chase says.

Had he?

"Why?" I ask.

"So that we have this room to ourselves! I don't want random people peering over my shoulder asking me questions. If anyone, I'll have it be my science experiment! Either way, you'll be cooking this one."

"Okay, what's first?"

I begin cooking at Chase's instruction. I cut up the herbs, the fish, marinate them, sauté them, and cook everything up. It's not a long process but Chase triple checks everything. I understand it, I mean, I am a world-class failure, but it still kind of stings.

We pull the dish out of the oven and stare at it for a moment. It _looks_ ok, but looks can be deceiving, especially with my food.

"So who takes the first bite?" he asks, staring at the dish.

"It has to be one, but not the other, that way, if one of us gets sick or something, the other can…get them water and nurse them back to life."

"Well, it's my science project, so I'll taste it. But first, take a picture of the dish, and record me eating it," he says, pulling out his phone and scrolling to the camera.

"Someone takes this science stuff seriously," I say, rolling my eyes.

He laughs. I snap a couple photos and start the recording. Chase edges the spoon in his mouth.

"It's not-," he begins, but then his eyes bulge out and he's running over to the sink. I jump up, grabbing the water like I said I would and he gulps it down, and then asks for more. We continue like this until the taste is finally off of his tongue.

With all the action dying down, I quickly pick up the dish and throw it into the garbage.

"It's no use," I say pathetically. "I can't cook; I'll never be able to cook. No matter what my parents say about raising a family, or finding a husband, I won't be able to do it either. I guess I was just made for Ramen Noodles."

I run out of the kitchen before Chase can say anything. Hurriedly, I go upstairs and lock the door behind me as I throw myself on the bed and curl up into a ball to watch anime, tears silently spreading across my pillow.

How could I have been so stupid? How could I have possibly thought that anything I made would be good? Why did I even like cooking? What was the point of liking something or trying to do something that you knew would fail in the end? I was only setting myself up for failure.

That night, after being humiliated for the last time in front of someone who was an expert, I decided.

I'm not ever going to do anything with cooking again.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Tabooed Actions and Reactions

Luna's POV:

"WHAT?!" I scream into my phone and Gill looks suspiciously at me as I hold up a hand towards him and clench my fist around my cell phone. "What do you mean she's in the hospital?! What did you _do _Skye?!"

"Look," he says, his voice coming out shaky but hard at the same time. "I wasn't driving the bus. I didn't do anything to her Luna. Just go down to the hospital and check it out. I'm pretty sure Claire and Kai might be there too."

"And where the hell are you?!" I yell.

He sighs. "I'm in my room," he says. "I'm not going to that hospital Luna; it's just not something I really want to do right now."

"I don't care about what you want and don't want to do! You were with her this morning weren't you?! You were in a group, _together_ and something went wrong. Why aren't you over there?! Don't you care about her?!"

"Why should I, it's not like we know anything about each other?!"

"I can't believe you!" I yell. "You are _going_, whether you want to admit to yourself that you care or not!"

I slide my phone off and head off back in the building.

"Wait up!" Gill calls, and I realize I'd left him sitting on the bench. "What's going on Luna?"

"Jill and Skye went out to go get supplies or something, and Skye and she got separated somehow, then Jill got into this huge bus collision and she's in the hospital."

Gill's eyes widen.

"Now Skye doesn't have the decency to go to the damn hospital and see her!"

"Then it's settled. We're taking him to the hospital."

I nod, and together, we push through the doors to get to the residential section.

Skye's POV:

People were so inconsiderate.

Yea, Jill was in the hospital. But Claire and Kai were with her. What made Luna think I wanted to pay for a cab and sit through traffic just so I could watch some girl I barely knew sleep for a couple days? In fact, I had to cancel my plans with an old friend to sit in the ambulance. Hadn't I done enough?

That was what I was trying to put through my head.

That was probably what the old Skye would think.

But I wasn't a new version of myself. Perhaps I'd changed, but not for the better, maybe not even for the worst. It was hard to tell at this point. But I knew that I wasn't supposed to care as much as I did about Jill getting hurt. It was true that maybe now I was going too far, too distant, but I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I was starting to get way too close to this pony-tailed girl. In the ambulance, I'd been seriously scared for her, and I'd said some really stupid stuff. The good thing was that she probably wouldn't remember.

But…

_You don't care Skye, so stop worrying._

"SKYE YOU LITTLE DOUCHE OPEN THE GOD DAMN DOOR!" I hear Luna screeching.

I'd been so lost in thought, coupled with me listening to really loud music was NOT helping me…at all.

"Hold on," I say grouchily, throwing myself off of the bed and opening up the door. "What do you want?"

"Are you dressed?" Luna asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Does it look like I'm naked?" I say coyly.

"Perfect," she smirks, and then pulls my collar. I stare at her, pulling back. She has no strength whatsoever.

"Was that you're amazing plan?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

Then all of a sudden Gill comes in and whacks me over the head with something really REALLY hard.

"What the hell?" I ask, blinking my eyes open.

Luna smiles complacently at me, beside Gill. What was going on with those two?

"Isn't this kidnapping? And assault? And-,"

"Says the thief who goes out inconspicuously each night," Luna smirks. "You're not weeding your way out of this one."

"What was that you said about weed Luna? Can't seem to get this one off the subject," I say, narrowing my eyes.

"As if I'd get into drugs," she chortles. "Please Skye; you're definitely more likely to be a stoner than I am, what with everything you manage to swipe."

I roll my eyes. "Why would I endanger my cover by becoming a druggie?"

"Maybe because you don't care about your cover, since you know, 50% of the schools sophomores know about your little issue there."

"I'm not a kleptomaniac Luna, no matter how much you want me to be your little sob story."

"Perfect," Luna says. "Then you can be my tragic romance story! We're here."

I get out of the car reluctantly and Luna takes Gill's arm and they start walking over to the hospital. I stare dumb-founded.

"Get over here Phantom!" Luna calls.

"Sure, sure, but one question. Luna, why do you need _me_ to be your love story if you've already got one of your own?"

I expect an answer from her, but Luna's face goes pale and she realizes she's holding Gill. "It's moral support," she says, snatching her arm away.

"What do you need moral support for? You weren't at the crash!"

"But…er…she's one of my best friends!"

"You've known her for what, 2, 3 days?"

"Just shut up, we're here."

Gill hadn't said a word the entire time that we'd been walking. Finally we passed through hallway after hallway and came across her room. Luna and Gill walked straight in, with confidence. I hang back, straggling behind.

Luna and Gill are directly in the room, talking to the doctor. I could make a break for it right now. It's not like they could catch me, and they wouldn't want to anyway; causing a fuss wouldn't be the best thing for Jill.

_And running away from her was supposedly my best?_

I run a hand through my silver hair, sighing. I had to make a decision, right now. Luna and Gill weren't going to drag me through anything. Jill would've been upset to know that they'd forced me to come. If I left now, she'd never know about me being here. She'd assume I just didn't show up. How would she feel about that? She was sleeping for a long time.

It was funny. One part of me wanted to run, a very big part, so that she wouldn't know I'd been deliberating here like a coward. The other part, shoved, kicked, and pushed down, wanted to walk into the room and hold her hand until she woke up.

Hadn't it been me in the first place who'd gotten her in the crash. It was me who'd left her at the store to flirt with Lumina, and without a doubt I could see that after 2 hours she'd caught that bus after crying her eyes out. And now she was in the hospital.

I owed it to her to see her, like Claire had said.

So I walked in the room, and her heart stopped beating.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Drifting

Skye's POV:

Her heart monitor had stopped for a few seconds, and Luna had pressed a panic button. Doctors came in from every direction, shoving past me with nothing on their minds but saving Jill.

"We need to get her a cardiopulmonary resuscitation! Use the external defibrillator stat!"

My father was a doctor. The external defibrillator was only used to control fatal arrhythmias. I balled my hands into fists. If Jill died because of sudden arrhythmia death syndrome like 300,000 other people this year, because I wasn't there for her…

"Come on Jill," I whisper.

"Administer the tissue plasminogen!" the doctor yells.

She has blood clots in the coronary arteries. It wasn't looking good.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room," someone says. I ignore them.

Luna and Gill leave, and I still stand in the room listening. I turn away to not see them inject her or pump the electricity through her veins, but I'm staying.

"Sir, I'm going to have to-,"

"I know," I say harshly. "But I can't leave her like this! She…I just…please…don't…"

"It's regulation, we can't-," the guy starts, but the doctor starts yelling at him to get moving or she'll have brain damage.

They hook her up to an IV and so many monitors.

I close my eyes and pray for her to get through it. If she dies, I don't know what happens. But it can't be good, for anyone, including me.

Because it just so happens that I _do_ care for Jill Suzumiya, more than anyone thinks for sure.

A couple of hours later everyone lets out a long sigh of relief. I'm about to rejoice but they keep checking her, and her eyes remain closed, her composure still distant. The heart monitor is beeping steadily, but…but…

The doctor comes by me. "Oxygen is pumping back in her brain and heart. But…I have some bad news. Jill Suzumiya has gone comatose."

My knuckles go white. "How long…that's a stupid question isn't it? Does she have brain damage from the crash?"

"No, the comatose state was induced from the heart attack. From the crash she has a fractured leg, and we had to break her bone to allow it to grow back properly. Her arm was injured as well, though not as severely. She had some blood clots that we took care of, but as soon as she's let out we'll have to have her come back once a week," the doctor explains.

I nod. "Is there any way to gauge how long she'll be in the coma?" I ask him.

"We haven't been able to get her to open her eyes, make sounds, or movements. According to the Glasgow Coma scale she's got 3 points, and in a deep coma. As you may know these things are very different each time. She didn't take much brain damage, so you might look up for that, but due to the recent heart attack, it's difficult to say. I'm sorry," he says, patting my back.

"Can I stay here?" I ask him.

He nods.

I sit on the chair and take her fragile hand in mine. There's no response though.

"She can hear me right?" I ask the doctor. He nods, and then leaves the room to give us privacy.

"Hey Jill," I choke out, rubbing her hand in little circles. "You know," I cough, "you've gotten me really scared. I…I'm scared for you. I want you to wake up, so I can see you roll your eyes at me. I'm so sorry. And…I feel like I got you into this whole mess. I don't know what to say anymore, but…I care about you okay? So…don't….don't worry about it. Just…just concentrate on getting better okay? That way we can go to more movies. I think there's a film festival going on in a couple days. Plus school's going to start. So you've got to wake up. It's Skye by the way. Just in case you didn't…know."

"Of course she knows," a voice says. I spin around to see Claire, leaning against the door frame, "a girl always knows, especially when she's fallen for the guy too."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Changes

Claire's POV:

Jill Suzumiya had changed Skye in the past couple of days. He didn't even seem melancholy, but somehow, he wasn't the same detached, uncaring, thief he'd been before. In fact, no one was sure if he'd even left her side since that one night a couple days back.

_I wonder if I can ever get Kai to change…_

Who was I kidding? Kai didn't need to change for anyone, and he sure wouldn't be changing for a girl who couldn't make up her mind about him. I sigh and brush out my blonde bangs, shrugging into some sweats and a striped tank top. I grabbed my water bottle and headed down to the gym with Lumina, Ann, and Popuri.

"Since when did you work out Lumina?" Ann asks her, setting herself on a bike next to me.

Lumina shrugs. "After I mastered piano and moved to Paris to teach it, I've tried to find other things to occupy the time. Music isn't everything you know."

_It is if you're actually passionate about it._

"Besides, working out has definite benefits for people with more weight. Isn't that why you're here?"

Ann's eyebrow twitches. "I'm _underweight_ Lumina, I was born skinny."

"You were _born_ on a farm. Seriously, come on Ann, weren't you on a vegetable diet since day one?"

I gulp. If Lumina knew that I was born a farm too…she'd never let it go. Ann was really aggravated then.

"You were born on a farm too!"

"Yea, but I was in a mansion. Sebastian, my butler, made most of the meals."

"Whatever Lumina, I'm not overweight and you know it. I'm working out because it's part of a healthy lifestyle. And you don't have to be on a diet just because you want to lose weight! It's a healthy diet, not a starvation one!"

"Sure, sure Annie dear," Lumina says, getting annoyed. She plugs in her ear phones and plays the music so loud everyone else can hear it too, she hums along with it as she jogs on a treadmill, ignoring us.

Ann grits her teeth. "Ann…A-N-N, why are 3 letters so HARD for her to hear?" she grumbles.

I nod submissively. I was worn out from all this drama. With Jill in the hospital, there weren't many people to talk to anymore. Well, perhaps there were, but nothing could be talked about without passing into depressing territory.

"How's Jill?" Popouri asks me, glancing at my face.

I frown. "There hasn't been a change," I reply. "But the doctors say it's just a matter of her willpower now. Everything's functioning, but it seems like she's scared or something. She has to WANT to wake up, and…right now it doesn't look that way. Everyone's taking it in different ways."

"So you're taking it by working out in a pathetic gym?" Lumina asks, one earphone dangling by her waist.

"No, I'm trying to stay calm and get ready for my second year at this school," I snap. "Maybe you should be a little more considerate Lumina, she's in a coma!"

"What does _that_ have to do with you running from Kai?"

I'm taken aback, and I stop peddling on the bike. "Excuse me?"

"Oh that's right, he's at the hospital trying to keep calm and get her to wake up. But, being the cowardly lion you are, you're too selfish to actually go and TALK to the guy."

"Who do you think you are Lumina? You can't talk to me like that! You don't know anything about me! You don't anything about him either! What are you even talking about anyway, you're the reason why she's IN the hospital!"

Lumina cackles. "Please, like I would get caught driving a bus. No Claire, there's no way to blame this on me, sorry."

I smirk. "Really? Because I'm pretty sure there's a reason Skye hasn't called you up for another date. It's because he's with _her_ and you hate it. It absolutely tears you apart that he likes her so much, and that even when he was with you, he ran to her sidei n a heartbeat."

Lumina narrows her eyes at me. "He's not always there with her," she says.

"Want to bet?" I ask, checking my watch. "Let's take a ride Lumina."

We get to the hospital and Skye's there, slumped in a chair moved right next to Jill's bed, squeezing her hand. Kai is there as well, dozing lightly. My heart stops cold when I see him.

_So this is where he's been._

Maya looks up from her book and smiles sadly at us.

"Hi," she says.

"Hey Maya," I say, suddenly feeling stupid. Why had I made a bet with Lumina of all people, over whether people would be sitting somberly in a hospital.

"This is ridiculous," Lumina says, walking over to Skye and taking his hand out of Jill's. She claps her hands in front of his face and Skye opens his eyes, looking dazed.

"Lumina?" he croaks.

"Why haven't you called me?" she insists.

My mouth drops open.

_WHY DID I MAKE THIS STUPID BET AND BRING HER HERE?!_

I half expected Skye to turn on his charm, woo Lumina and ease her back into the state of adoring him like he did with all the other girls. But…Skye was…different somehow.

"I'm sorry Lumina," he says, "but I don't think I have a future with you anyway. I didn't call because I was here, looking after Jill. You were at the car crash, you know what happened to her, and yet all that was on your mind was…gettinga call? It's selfish. I don't want to be that wa y Lumina, so…there's nothing that we can really do…for us."

"Y-you're breaking up with me?!" she asks, incredulous.

He cracks a faint smile. "We weren't technically going out."

"Fine, whatever Skye, but you can FORGET about our agreement!"

Skye just turns back to look at Jill's face. Lumina storms out. I linger in the doorway before sighing and looking over at Jill.

There's something about the look of a person in a coma. They don't look peaceful at all. Jill looks like she's barely alive, like she's already dead and lost. I didn't even know the girl, but it brings tears to my eyes. If she doesn't wake up I'll never know the girl who made Skye get emotional. I'll never understand the girl who spoke to that child in the car crash. I realize then that my cheeks are moist with tears for this girl. Why? I don't know her.

"Do you remember her now?" Skye asks.

"What?"

"Both of you were really young, so you probably don't remember it, but you two lived in the same town. I'm pretty sure you knew her too, even played together. I nfact, much of your story is similar. Her father died before yours, and she disappeared before you could really grow up to know her, but you both grew up on farms, both found friends, left because of death, and ventured out into Paris."

"H-how do you know about me on the farm?"

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. He seems to do that a lot more than usual. "I was never allowed to go outside, Claire. I could only hear stories of kids having fun. And I'd see you guys playing all the time. Since I couldn't really make memories of my own, I'd remember other people's even more."

"You lived in Forget-me-Not?"

"It depended on which weekend," Skye says, refusing to look at me. "There's a lot you don't know about me Claire."

No kidding. How many people thought Skye was just some flirtatious kleptomaniac with a rich background?

"Maybe you should tell someone then," I mumble.

Kai stirs, then opens his eyes up. "Claire?" he asks, groaning. "What's going on?"

I look back at Jill. Do I remember her?

"Come on Jill," I whisper. "You've got to wake up."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Eyes on Fire

Jill's POV:

A pounding headache brings me to the room that is strange to me. My bedroom in Mineral town was never big. It had a bed pressed to the wall with a window at its side, a wooden dresser, mirror, and a little side table with a lamp and French flowers.

"I'm heading out for work okay? Make sure you get to school on time!" my mother's voice sounds from the hall.

I don't speak, just swing my legs over the side of my desk and head to the bathroom. The apartment is small, but it seems big because we don't have much inside.

I quickly tie my hair up in a ponytail, my cold hands slipping around the elastic band and pulling back my brown hair in it. The hair naturally divides in two as I shower and put on my overalls, the act familiar and practiced. I wander into the kitchen and grab some rice balls, eating them quickly. I sigh and grab my rucksack, slinging it over my shoulders and heading outside.

The town is bustling.

For a couple seconds I'm lost. Where is school? Where is the crepe building?

Then I laugh to myself. Mineral Town doesn't have crepe buildings. What brought on that thought?

"Pony!" someone calls. I turn around. I turn to face a guy with long silver hair and gleaming green eyes, he smirks at me, and suddenly, the boy dissolves, leaving an orange haired boy wearing a white shirt, cargo pants, purple shoes and an UMA cap.

"Hi Gray," I say, the world's rolling off my tongue naturally.

How do I know this?

_You've known him forever._

But how? I can't remember meeting him, can't remember who he was...

_You've known him forever._

The voice repeats the sentence in my mind until it aches with a sadness I can't comprehend. Gray says nothing, doesn't react, almost as if he doesn't see it happening.

"Let's go," he says, putting an arm around my shoulders.

_You like this boy._

How can I like him, I don't even know him?

_Stop questioning._

Since when did I become scared of my own thoughts?

We walk to school, and I seem to stumble around, trying to figure out what it was that I should be doing. Gray leads me to all of my classes, somehow knowing almost too much about me for someone I can't remember.

_Stop trying to remember who you are and just do what you're meant to in this world._

What is this voice? It doesn't belong to me. It doesn't feel right. But there's a huge ache in my head and I submit to it.

Gym class is easy; I have muscle somehow and take down my opponents in wrestling with ease. Then, I'm paired with a girl with short brown hair, gorgeous eyes, and a rich demeanor.

"Lumina," I say, though I don't know how I know her.

_You should feel anger towards her. Be angry. Hate her._

Hate her? Why should I hate her?

_She took something from you, don't you remember? She took your world away from you. Be angry, let this anger contain you._

I don't feel anger towards the girl. But when the whistle blows she runs to me, and I dodge her swiftly. She throws a punch at me and nails me in the stomach.

_She hit you. Anger._

But I am still not angry. She's meant to do this, she has to hurt me, and it's not her fault. She doesn't hate me. I don't hate her.

_HATE HER._

I can't. That is all. I cannot do it. I do not hate this girl, there is no reason for me to hate her, and I do not hate her. That doesn't stop pain from crawling along my shoulder as she throws me to the floor.

_Perhaps he will refresh your memory._

Who?

There's no answer, and for some reason, that's what scares me the most.

The rest of the day I am a flightless bird. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know who I am. I can't remember, or…I don't want to. What if who I was is just a weak human being? What if I'm better off trying to fix who I am now?

A loud alarming ring sets my mind on fire. I clutch my ears in pain.

"Lockdown procedures initiated."

Like it had been doing the entire day, my body moved itself forward, hiding in a little space by the desk. I held my breath as boots ran through the hallway.

Nothing's going to happen. They're trying to scare us.

My heart pounds in my chest.

And then, the door bursts open, and the windows shudder as a silver-haired boy with gleaming green eyes and a satisfied smirk on his face approaches us.

"Hey beautiful, it's been far too long," he says, taking my hand. My heart stops for a moment and the boy lifts me to his feet.

_You know him._

I do.

I do know him.

_What's his name?_

"Skye," I say, and my hands fly to my throat.

He smirks. "You remember? That's good Beautiful, that's good."

How do I know Skye? He seems to be the only real part of this entire dreamlike world. I itch to know him somehow, to remember.

_Remember him._

_Remember._

And I do.

I remember the bits and pieces that border a passage into the other world the voice had been talking about.

_You love him. And yet, it is Lumina that he loves._

_Hate them._

_Hate them both._

Skye's eyes flicker from mine, and he suddenly flings me to the ground and takes Lumina into his arms. He strokes her face and for some reasons my heart aches for him.

_Hate them._

But anger doesn't perturb me. Something else rips at me. Sadness.

_Why do you not hate him?!_

How can I hate that he's happy? I don't want to be evil; I don't want to seek the unhappiness of others. A tear slips down my cheek.

"I hope you can be happy," I mumble.

My world goes fuzzy for a moment, and I don't know why. Then Skye stands, his hands balled into fists, Lumina sitting on the floor gleaming.

"What makes you think I'm happy?" he asks, snarling.

I look at Lumina, then back to him.

"Don't you know me at all? Who am I? Jill, who am I?!"

Jill.

I snap my head up at him.

"How do you know who I am?" I ask him.

"Why don't you?" he asks. "Wake up Jill. Why are you here? Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding!" I say.

"Why are you being so defensive then?" he asks, sounding annoyed.

"I…"

"Wake up Jill, please," he says, tugging at my arm. "You liked our world, you loved it. I want you back in it. I miss you Jill. You have to come back."

"You miss me? You know me?"

He looks at me sadly. "You don't remember then?"

"I only remember…parts…"

"That's because you're scared Jill. You're scared of finding out. You're scared that you'll find something you don't want to remember."

"That's not true," I mumble. "I think I want to remember you."

"Then wake up. It'll be so easy if you just wake up."

"Are you sure? What if I'm not the right person?"

"There's only one Jill Suzumiya. How can you be anything _but_ the right person?"

"Promise?"

"Trust me," he says, staring into my eyes. The green orbs sparkle and he takes my hand. "Wake up."

I squeeze his hand hard and clear my mind. Whatever this world was, I want to be back in it. I want to wake up. Who knows if I'll be able to face it? But it's better than whatever this is. It's better than following a path like a robotic sheep, wondering about what life could be like if I had the chance. I _do_ have that chance, and it's time that I take it with both hands.

With all the willpower I have, I force my eyes open. I feel my throat closing, my head pounding, my arm shrieking in pain and I can't find my leg. Its pain, but it's real. This fire that I feel, that is real, no matter what else isn't.

And the fire or being able to feel something, even when the world is somber, sometimes, that's enough.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Dandelion Seeds

Jill's POV:

"God I hate fluorescent lights," I moan, shielding my eyes.

When my eyes adjust I look at the room around me. Everyone stands there, dumb-founded and staring.

"What happened guys, I don't get it…" I say.

Then, the doctors come in and start checking me, and they wheel me into a room to run tests.

"Wait," I say, looking back at my friends. Then it hits me. My leg is in a sling; my arm is bent at an odd angle. "Wait, please!"

Then someone laces a hand through mine and squeezes hard.

"I'm still here," Skye says, and I realize I'm shaking. "It's okay Jill."

After a while, they release me. I'm free to go.

"Class starts tomorrow," Skye says setting me into a wheelchair. Claire is smiling at me, even though I can see her eyes watering and her cheeks are wet from tears.

"Perfect," I say, rolling my eyes. "I'm _so_ prepared for a new French lesson."

We all laugh at the sheer stupidity of the situation.

"So…LET'S GO WATCH A MOVIE!" I say, and we all go. Claire calls up Luna, Maya, Gill and Chase, and we all go out. We sit in a darkened theater and throw popcorn at each other like we're friends.

And maybe we are.

The bus crash that seemed to tear me apart actually brought all of us closer together somehow. Like now we can all be happy for a few moments while we rejoice.

Then we go back home and I try and use my crutches. My leg is severely injured, and it'll take a while to heal. My arm is alright for the most part. I hadn't been given any information about May, which nagged me a little in my mind.

It gets late, and after Luna and the others help me pick out what to wear and what to put in my backpack, I recline on my bed and think.

_I wish I wasn't alone right now._

A knock sounds softly on my door. I barely hear it and I don't have the strength to open the door. I groan. A couple of clicks later, the door open and Skye walks in, looking surprised to see me.

"I didn't think you were awake," he says.

"Oh sure, so you just let yourself in," I say, even though I'm grateful for his presence.

He smiles at me. "I'm glad you're back."

"Never left," I whisper, and he sits on the edge of my bed.

"You had me really scared you know," he continues, scratching the back of his head

"Mmhm."

"I mean it," he insists. "I thought you were going to die."

I stare into his eyes to find a lie, but there is none. "Come on Skye, I'm way stronger than that," I say, smiling weakly.

"Are you?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Mentally, I can withstand torrents of fire and ice. In reality I've got the upper body strength of a hamster. And I use it to my full extent," I say, nodding.

Skye lets out a rumbling laugh, then stops, smiling at me. "Really glad you're back."

On impulse, I put my arms around his waist and smile as I hear his heartbeat. "Never left."

Skye slides a hand under my knees to turn me. He slides over my coves and pulls me in with him. I get under the covers, my leg aching. I put my head to his chest and he rubs my thumb in a slow motion. He hums a song that seems so familiar to me, but I can't remember from where.

"Do you remember anything while being…comatose?" Skye asks suddenly.

I shudder myself awake from my sleepy state. I try and remember from the crash. The images of May make me shake involuntarily.

"Dandelion seeds," I blurt out.

Skye doesn't answer, and I steal a look at his face. He's smirking, and seems to be blushing. I'd never seen him blush.

"What?" I ask him.

"It's a really…cheesy metaphor," he says.

"Aren't all your metaphors cheesy?" I ask him, chuckling.

"Come on," he says, laughing lightly. "The cheesy ones always work the best!"

I roll my eyes. "SURE THEY DO!"

He smiles, and I nudge him. "You didn't answer the question."

"I'm a thief Jill; maybe you can figure it out for yourself."

"What do you mean by that? You being a thief has nothing to do with dandelion seeds."

He laughs again, and then turns his head to look at me. "Your first impression of thieve is bad isn't it?"

"I guess so, in general, but I always think of Aladdin. That guy was awesome."

Skye laughs again, and I smile, praying the darkness would hide my expression and the way my cheeks had turned pink.

"You know how when you blow on a dandelion seed, it's like you've made a wish? And that wish blows up into the sky, and you watch it go, then look away? You never look at where it'll land, or what will actually happen. Sometimes these are just natural, and the wind has a wish for you too. It's…like magic."

"What does that have to do with me?"

He shifts at an odd angle. "Can't give out everything just now can I?"

My heart was thudding in my chest like the stupid teenage girl I was, the one who read way too many romance novels.

He leans towards me, hovering over my face. I'm acutely aware of everything about him, the parting of his silver hair, the angle of his knees, his arm under my head, the sparkling green of his eyes, and of course, the pair of lips that speak words I can't begin to comprehend.

"Hello?" he asks, chuckling.

I snap back into reality. "Oh hi!"

"I asked," he breathes, leaning closer. "Why do you hate fluorescent lights?"

My mouth slants open and I slap a hand to my forehead. "Oh come on!"

"Hmm?"

_Did I say that out loud? Perfect._

"It takes away shadows," I respond, rolling my eyes. "It casts no glow. Everything looks pale and almost deathly so."

"What's with the mood drop?" he asks, laughing.

I roll my eyes. "I'm a girl, do some math."

He laughs again. "That time of the month hmm?"

I groan.

He just keeps laughing.

"That's not what I meant!" I whine.

"Sure thing," he says, but breaks out in laughter all over again.

"You're impossible!"

He smirks contentedly at me. "So glad you're back Suzumiya."

"Yea, yea."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Interesting Tactics

Maya's POV:

You know, I love instant noodles and such, but after eating them…3 times a day…for days on end…it gets a little bland.

A loud pounding on my door interrupted my e-mail to my parents. I open up the door and Luna comes in, dragging in Jill and her crutches.

"Look Maya, are you going anorexic or something?! Every time you come out here it's to get some Mr. Noodles and some boiling water, then you just go back into your little cabin, and camp out and watch anime! What happened to going out and tasting foods?! We're going to get you through this Maya, me, Jill, and you! And if you have any other people who you want to help you, I'll take them along with me and we'll have the best time, and you'll realize how delicious food can be again! Seriously Maya, I'm serious, you don't need to starve yourself for anything, or anyone!" she yells.

I sigh. "Luna, I'm really not in the mood today."

"See?" he says, shaking Jill's arm. "I told you, she's delusional, she's absolutely crazy. We've got to get her some real food. You stay here, you'll be the leverage!"

"What are you talking about Luna?" Jill asks, looking worried.

"You're the sob-story of this operation! You've just got to stay here and it's not like she'll put you out of anything, I mean, you're on crutches!"

"I thought you wanted me to come along so we could help her!"

"Yea and we will, just as soon as I get my hands on some really awesome food!"

I turn to scowl at the two, still lingering in my doorway. I open my mouth to say something, but Luna beats me to it.

"No need to waste your words Maya dear! I'm just going to drop Jill off here for a moment, and then I'll pick her up when I'm done! You know, can't just leave her behind! I've got errands to run, people to see, but being with Jill will just slow me down and stuff! So, I'll be back! See ya1"

Luna pushes Jill, who flails awkwardly. I run to catch her and scowl at Luna, who has run out of the room and shut the door.

"Sorry about all of this," Jill says, blushing and refusing to meet my eyes. I help her stable herself on the crutches.

I sigh. "It's no big deal."

Jill looks at me thoughtfully. "She means well," Jill says, shifting to sit on the bed. "She's just worried about you, we all are."

"I can take care of myself," I snap.

Jill isn't fazed. "Well of course you can take care of yourself, that's why you're here! But…you just don't seem yourself."

"How would you know anyway?" I scowl. Who did this girl thing she was. It hadn't even been a week and she thought that I was all giggles and laughter? How dare she make assumptions about me?! "No one is always happy!"

"I know that," Jill says, smiling at the floorboards. "But you seemed different to all of us. You were genuinely happy, and definitely passionate about food."

"Well that was stupid! It was time for me to grow up!"

"That's not true Maya. Being passionate about food made you who you were. It made you happy, it made you ecstatic, and maybe you were weird, but so what? We respected you for loving what you did! Now, now you just seem sad about…well…almost everything."

"There's nothing too amazing to be happy about okay? That's it."

"Who are you trying to convince Maya?" I ask. "Me? Or yourself?"

I look at her. This girl was on crutches. She definitely hadn't made all the right decisions in her life. So how could she tell me that what I was doing was wrong? How could she tell me that I wasn't happy, or heading in the wrong direction? I tried to be logical, tried to reason with her, but to no avail. No matter what I tried to fight her reasoning with, it all came down to me, being too ashamed of failure to go out and do something about it.

"What if you're no good at what you love? Then you should just give up right? It's no use trying to do something that you'll fail at no matter what. I'm just trying to figure out what else I'm good at, but it turns out…I'm not good at anything at all." I ask.

"That's not true Maya! You were good at cooking, because you loved it! I mean, I was a rancher. And I sucked. I had this ginormous plot of land full of weeds and boulders. And I'd throw my seeds all over the place and forget to water them for days on end. But you get better! Everything changes eventually; all it takes is a little bit of patience, and a lot more faith in yourself. You were so passionate, what made you give up?"

I laugh, in spite of myself. "A reality check."

"From who?"

Loud voices argue outside the corridor.

"Luna I wasn't making this for you!"

"Come on Chase, you're a gastronomical genius! You can whip up one of these in like three seconds! Don't you care about the well-being of the chefs in training?"

"What the heck are you talking about Luna?! Have you gone crazy or something?!"

"No Chase, I'm not crazy. Hasn't anyone ever told you how to talk to a lady?"

"Yea Luna and they also taught me that if I see someone who looks like they should be put in a mental asylum to NOT give into what they want!"

"Wrong! If you see a random robber on the street who wants to grab your purse, then you give them the purse to avoid conflict with them!"

"Too bad I don't actually have a PURSE!"

"Dude, put things in context. Right now, the purse is the food. And I need the food. I'll be the burglar. You can arrest me later; I just need this now, and in order for me to accomplish my goal!"

"But you pose no threat to me!"

"Chase, I swear, if you don't give me this stupid buffet right now, I'm going to kick you so hard…"

I fling open the door. "What the heck is going on out here?!"

Luna grabs a buffet cart from Chase, wheels it into my room and slams the door on his face, locking it as she does.

"LUNA COME ON IT TOOK ME LIKE AN HOUR TO MAKE ALL OF THAT, AND I NEED IT!"

"This is for the greater good Chase! Sorry!"

"What did you do?!" I demand.

"Luna?" Jill calls out, looking at the buffet.

"Let's eat, guys!"

"Except there are no plates, no forks, no table…" Jill comments.

"Right! Hold off the idiot by the door okay?"

Luna shoots through the door again and Chase bustles in, taking in the sight.

"Hey Chase," Jill says weakly.

"Okay, I'm going to take this, and if you guys object, you can tell me now!" Chase says, taking hold of the buffet table. I turn away from him, unable to meet his eyes. He doesn't even realize how much I've changed.

"You would steal from a girl on crutches and an emotionally detached girl? You _are_ a cold-hearted villain!" Luna exclaims, shutting the door on him. She sits by it so that Chase can't open it unless he throws her away from the door.

"Oh come on Luna! Seriously, I need this stuff, and even if I didn't, I'd need to actually go and make some MORE!"

"No, actually this works out pretty well! We're having a convention for Maya's anorexia!" Luna announces.

Jill presses a palm to her face and I stiffen, and peek at Chase's reaction.

He's staring straight at me incredulously. "Is this because of what happened a couple days ago?"

I redden instantly.

"Ooh-la-la, what happened there?" Luna asks, moving the cart closer towards me.

"Nothing," I mutter. "This is so stupid. I'm not anorexic you guys, if I was, I wouldn't be eating."

"You _aren't_ eating. Instant noodles every day is _definitely_ not eating," Luna chides.

"Hey, if you were a starving African child and I offered you some instant noodles, you'd eat it up in a heartbeat!" I challenge.

"But we're in Paris," Luna says, narrowing her eyes. "What did you come here for Maya? And why do you need _us_ to remind you of that?"

"You're insane!" I exclaim. "I'm not anorexic, and it's not your problem if I'm trying to find a new passion! Maybe I'll take up the language or something!"

"Maya, what is this _really_ about?" Chase asks his eyes boring into mine.

"Fine! You really want to know?! I'm a failure at whatever I try to with food! I'm a failure, and that's never going to change! I only put people at risk when I try and operate a stupid oven. I'm not going to be selfish and keep putting everyone at risk because I couldn't handle an Easy-Bake Oven!" I shout.

Luna folds her arms across her chest. "Well now _this_ is something we can work with."

Jill nods.

"You_ agree _with them force feeding me stolen food?" I ask incredulously.

"It seems like the only way we're going to get through to you is if we rekindle your passion for food! And if it's one thing I can't stand, it's seeing my friends suffer when I can help!"

I sigh. "Jill, I understand that you want to help but there's _nothing_ you can do right now. I'm over it!"

"Stop kidding yourself and eat this!" Luna says, shoving a spoon of something sweet in my mouth.

I swallow so I don't choke, and the sweet soup goes down my throat and warms my palate. Hmm, there must be some sort of jam in this, and definitely some parsley, and…is that cinnamon? _No stop what are you doing?!_

_Why can't you just be normal and say, "Oh what delicious food!"_

"What did you think?" Jill asks, leaning over.

I shrug. "Sweet soup? Sure."

"Oh come on, that's delicious soup!" Chase complains.

I shrug again. They continue to pass me dish after dish, and I shrug off their delicious tastes and slump on the floor, exhausted from lying. I could still identify every ingredient, every taste. But skills like that meant nothing when you can't actually cook.

"Come on Maya!" Chase says aggravated. "Just try this one, and tell me honestly if you hate it that much!"

He shows me the Herb Dish, shining and smelling delicious. I peek over at Jill and Luna, who are stuffing their faces with the cakes and pastries. No one's paying attention except Chase, except the person who'd witnessed my fails, and who knew just how much I loved this food. There was no way I could lie to this guy in particular.

"O-okay," I stutter, cutting a piece of the fish and sliding it into my mouth. The herbs gave off not only a great taste, but an exquisite punch of flavour bursting all over my mouth.

"How is it?" he asks, looking hopeful.

"It's…okay," I say, lying through my teeth.

Chase lurches forward and puts his hands on my hands, leaning in close to my face. "Your lies are written all over your face Maya. You think I don't know that? I just want to hear what you have to say about the dish. Please?"

I exhale. His palms are sweaty. "You tricked me! You knew this was my favourite dish! You prepared it especially for me so that I'd crack to its deliciousness! EVIL!"

Chase smiles. "I'VE DONE IT GUYS!" Chase exclaims.

"YAY!" the two girls exclaim groggily, their mouths full of cake.

Chase's eyes widen. "Oh no. You two ate all of it? I have time to make 1 dish! 1! How am I supposed to win the contest with one dish?!"

"You're only supposed to submit one dish, stupid," Luna gawks.

"I know genius, but we find out what utensil to use, and I would've picked one of the 6 dishes I made!"

"Then go figure out which one it is and we'll re-cook it."

We bolt out of the room, Jill more gingerly. Chase flies down the hallway and grabs the paper, scanning it quickly. He turns around and bolts in the other direction, to the kitchen. Jill limps back the other way, panting heavily.

"What is it Chase?!" Luna calls.

"Cutting board!" he calls back. "Time for the second round of our science experiment Maya!"

"What?" I exclaim, stopping in my tracks. Jill catches up to me, panting.

"You didn't think I could do this by myself did you? That was a huge experiment! If you know every ingredient, maybe you can tell me, scientifically, what was missing!"

We pile into the kitchen, and Chase sets out the ingredient list.

"Fish. Let's get some Tarpon," I say.

Chase's eyes go wide. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get your hands on a one tarpon?"

I smirk at him. "I'll be back in 20 minutes, or less. Get everything else ready! Use purple and indigo herbs, they bring out each other."

I sprint from the room and roam around the streets, then hop on a bus and run to find my father's old fish store.

Chase's POV:

"How do you know it's done?" Luna asks, sticking her nose above the pot.

"When you take the cover off and the steam burns your face off," I say.

"Whoa, as soon as Maya leaves you're back to the old moody-broody chef," Luna says. "Interesting."

"Sure thing, at least I don't change back into an insensitive rude toad as soon as I'm around the mayor's son."

Luna reddens at that. "Who told you that atrocious lie?"

"Nobody had to _tell_me Luna. It's blatantly obvious with all your googly eyes," I comment, taking the herbs out and preparing the dish. I can't do much without that fish though. I check my watch. She's supposed to be here in 10 minutes.

_Come on Maya._

"What do you mean googly eyes?!" Luna asks.

I sigh. "Luna, just forget it okay? It was a joke, a comeback, and a diss, whatever! I I'm just stressed out today alright? "

"No, you're lying!"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because, you're not the first person to tell me something like this and I want to know why people think it!"

I roll my eyes. "Luna, did you ever stop to wonder if people were actually pondering about your love life all night long instead of their own lives? Look, people are trying to see if the rumors are true, so they're going to keep bugging you until you grow up and _do _something about it! Stop talking to him, or stop caring about what other people think!"

"But we're not dating so-"

"So it shouldn't bother you!"

Just then Maya bursts through the doors holding a giant bag of fish. The stench is incredibly thick.

"Maya!" I exclaim, wrapping her in a hug without thinking it. "Oh what am I doing?!"

I grab the fish and together, we start preparing them. We wash, cut, clean, and season them, then bake them with the herbs. May helps out, and Jill and Luna take notes and watch it happening. Eventually they end up playing some music to keep us calm.

Maya doesn't complain about not being able to cook. She follows my hand movements and follows my instruction. Finally, we pull out the dish, which looks big, and smells divine.

"Done," she says triumphantly.

"Now we just have to get it to the contest!" I say. I cover the dish in silver in and we rush back to the cooking arena across the street. I enter it into the contest and we watch the judging panel taste each dish individually.

Finally they come to ours.

"Never before have I tasted a fish this tropical, yet free of conflicting tastes! The herbs go delightfully well! If you mind me asking, which fish is this?"

"Tarpon, sir," I reply. "It's from Toucan Island originally."

"How did you acquire such a rare king fish?" the chef asks.

"My father owns a famous fish store in Paris a couple blocks away. That's where we bought the fish."

"So the dish belongs to the both of you?"

"Well I-," Maya begins.

"Yes it does!" I say, cutting her off.

"Well, it is a most excellent dish. I have made my decision. The winner of the cooking competition and the $300 dollar prize goes to Chase Matthews and…"

"Maya Andrews," she says, blushing.

Everyone cheers and they hand us both a big check. They take pictures and I smile triumphantly at our dish.

"See how well that went?" Luna asks, as we sit in the board room eating the last bits of victory cake.

"Hmm?"

"Your fish, your passion and history with fish and cooking, it helped us win the contest. Now you're $150 richer!" I tell her, sliding an arm casually around her shoulder. "Thanks Maya."

She ducks her head down. "It's no big deal, I didn't…actually do much."

"Are you kidding me? I used up the last of the fish on that dish we ate in your room. And it _still_ wasn't as good! Professional chefs were at that contest. We're just amateurs, and because of you, we managed to beat all of them!" I tell her.

She smiles at me, and I smile back. Perhaps Maya wasn't the best chef yet. But she had a dedication and a drive that everyone could learn from…maybe even me.

**Author's Note:**

**So I decided it was time for an really long Maya chapter! I really like this one! YAY! Sorry about the long wait, too many geography tests to study for -_-**

**Also, if you were wonderng where our other characters were in this chapter, you shall find out soon enough ;)**

**~AudaciousAdventure**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Lives Broken Open

Claire's POV:

"Okay, this is impossible. How am I supposed to apologize to that brat?!" Ann demands, stamping her foot.

"Come on Ann," I say reassuringly. "Maybe Lumina was just having a bad…day?"

"More like a bad lifestyle! That girl needs manners! I should've said something to her! I didn't say a word, so why do I need to apologize?!"

I sigh. "I just don't want tension between you guys. It's hard enough with all the stress from the incident with Jill, do you really want to be putting on an act now?!"

Ann pouts and crosses her arms. "I'll forgive her, but I'm not apologizing. She can sulk all she wants. This isn't even about me; this is about that silver-haired guy!"

"Hmm?" a voice sounds behind us. I jump. Popuri lets out a small shriek. Skye covers her mouth with one hand and smirks. "Since when did _I _become the eye of the earthquake?"

"The expression is eye of the storm," I say, rolling my eyes. "And that's rich Skye, like you don't spend your days dreaming of finding a crowd of girls talking about you."

He smirks again, and then runs a hand through his hair. "So what was that about my hair?"

"What's his name?" Ann asks, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Skye," he responds, smiling. "Phantom, Skye."

"Mysterious much?" Ann asks, giggling.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Was I the only girl in this school who could resist Skye's 'charm'?

Oh wait, Luna.

"Actually we were arguing about how you're the cause of all our problems. Lumina won't take a step out of her room and blames it all on Ann over here, when we ALL know the real reason," I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

Skye looks up from Ann's eyes and chuckles. "Your problem is that some girl who annoyed and insulted all of you is locked in her room?"

"_You're_ not her roommate on the other side who's going to have a fit when she gets back!" Popuri says.

He furrows his brow. "Who's her roommate?"

"Luna," I respond. "And if Luna gets over here and tries to open a locked door, we're going to have a really messed up drama going on."

Skye shakes his head. "The things you girls get me into to…"

He knocks on the door, and suddenly Lumina is bawling at the top of her lungs.

Skye sighs. "Can someone open this door?"

I slap my forehead in mock inspiration. "By George he's got it! Of course, open the door!" I run up to the door and twist the handle. "What sorcery is this? Could the door be locked?! Is this the impediment that's been stopping us for the past 10 minutes?! Oh heavens-,"

"Okay, okay," Skye says, laughing. "Stupid question if you're thinking about it like that. I'm just saying, there's got to be a way to get into this room, we just have to find it."

"And how do you expect we do that?" Ann asks a hand on her hip.

"Easy," Skye says, pulling a pair of lock picks from his jeans.

"So, that's why he calls himself Phantom Skye," I say, and lean back on the wall.

Skye picks the door with ease, and the locks click out of place. He waltzes in, and the three of us scurry in behind him.

Luna's room is a mess.

Tissues are everywhere, and the desks are overturned. I wonder who's going to have to clean all this up.

But Lumina seems to be the messiest thing in the room.

Her hair is in a clumsy array and her face is lined with mascara tears. She's crumpled in a pile on the floor, and is staring right at Skye. She lets out some sort of choked, guttural noise and jumps to her feet to start running.

Skye catches her, and apparently knocks the wind out of her. "What are you running from?" he asks, his voice soft. "Me?"

She looks up at him, her eyes teary and sad. "Who do you think? You're the only one who knows enough about me to be able to break me."

Skye lets out a long sigh. He presses her in a tight hug. I feel like an intruder on this moment, and see Lumina shuddering and burying her head in Skye's shoulder.

"She's going to be okay Lumina," he whispers, so faint I know I shouldn't be hearing it. "You don't have to pretend to be your mother. You know she only wants what's best for you; she only wants to see her granddaughter, not the memory of her daughter. You're not anyone else, so it's silly to pretend."

She grips his arms and keeps crying. "Sebastian called. She's getting worse."

"Is that why you came to Paris?"

"I came to find a better doctor," she whispers. "Romana's willpower is the only thing keeping her alive, and I'm afraid that-."

"Afraid that what? That old bat is as stubborn as a mule. There's no way she's giving in to old age," Skye chuckles.

_Romana?_

_Since when did Skye come from Forget-Me-Not-Valley?_

Lumina sniffles. "Promise?"

Skye nods, his green eyes flashing. "A beautiful maiden shouldn't let such raw emotions cloud her beauty."

Lumina blushes, then wipes the tears from her eyes. "What are you saying that for, aren't you and Jill a thing?"

Skye blinks, his reaction unchanging. Calm, cool, collected; this was the Skye I knew, the Skye before Jill Suzumiya came along. Was this not him? I'd never known Skye to calm a girl he'd gone after, I'd known him for running away like a coward, or stealing things in moonlight. Had Jill really changed him? If so, was he aware of this change? Or was he playing at a new standpoint no one would see coming?

"I'm not attached to anything, Lumina, you know that," Skye says, running a hand through his silver soft hair.

"Of course," Lumina says, laughing. "The Phantom Skye holds the power of his cold heart in both hands."

Skye smirks. "Are you certain my heart hasn't warmed at all?"

Lumina nods, wiping her mascara tears from her face. "If it had, you wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. You'd force it to go cold once again."

Skye rolls his eyes at that. "I do believe I'm in control of my own heart thank you very much."

Lumina laughs. "That just proves you aren't. For your information, Mr. Cold Heart, it's virtually _impossible_ to control a heart."

"Perhaps for you," Skye says, his green eyes sparkling, "but the Phantom is capable of many things, beautiful."

She smirks. "Yea, yea." Lumina bites the inside of her cheek in an attempt to control her blush, but she can't. It's painted on her face in bright letters. She's still hoping that he'll warm his heart…to her. "Go back to your broken duckling."

"Who?" Skye asks, shaking the hair out of his eyes.

I lean back onto the wall, interested. Will Skye repeat what happened the last time? Is he that stupid?

"Jill," Lumina responds, raising an eyebrow. "Forgotten about your charity case already?"

"Lumina, Lumina, you know me, I'm not one to forsake my freedom to take care of sick things."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask him, suddenly enraged. "What's wrong with you? Are all guys like that? Do they just not care about what girls feel? Do all guys operate the way you do? Care for one until the other gets hurt, and then fly back to the other? What logic is that?!"

Skye gives me a look of distaste. "I'm not hurting Jill by being nice to Lumina. And I'm not hurting Lumina by being nice to Jill. Being nice to people doesn't mean I'm hurting others from neglect."

"You don't understand do you?! It's not about being nice, because you're _not_ just being _nice_ to them! You're leading them on you jerk! I thought you had a lot more class than that. Or are you really just a dirty, typical thief?"

Skye never gets angry, but I half expected him to be as soon the words left my mouth. Lumina gripped his hand in hers. "I think you should go."

"You know maybe I should go talk to Jill. I think she'd be just peachy to know about you and your flirtation problem," I spit out. I leave the room in a huff, slamming the door behind me. Ann and Popuri run out and try to calm me down.

"Come on Jill, he's always been like that, what's the big deal about him being like that now?" Popuri asks, struggling to keep up with my brisk pace.

"What's wrong is that he still thinks he's just some smooth talking hottie, when he's really just a big jerk! Maybe guys should realize that they can't play with you like that! Maybe then we wouldn't have so many romantic tragedies that they have to sit through at the movies! Why complain when they're the ones who cause it? It's so…so…."

"Uhm, Claire?"

Kai.

Oh perfect.

"What?!" I yell, pushing past him. "Of course you have to be over here as soon as I start ranting about useless, cold-hearted boys."

He shoots me a questioning look. As I turn around to keep walking, I walk headfirst into Vaughn.

"What do you two want?!" I demand.

"Calm down Claire, people are staring, and you hate it when people stare at you," Vaughn says.

"I can't!" I say angrily.

Vaughn rolls his eyes. "Is she always like this?" he asks Kai.

"How should I know?" he asks. Kai tugs at my arm and pulls me into his dormitory along with Vaughn, Ann and Popuri.

I scowl at them and turn to the door. Kai folds his arms against his chest and stands with his back to the door, blocking my passage.

"What's wrong Claire?" Vaughn asks. "I've never seen you this angry!"

"Maybe you should talk to you Phantom thief cohort, I'm sure he'd give you a much better response," I spit.

"What did he do, come on to you? He tries that with everyone, there's no point in getting worked up over him," Vaughn tries.

"No, he did not come onto me, mostly because I'm impervious to his 'charms' or whatever. He was himself, he acts the way all guys act, so whatever. Maybe I should just swear off of them."

"Boys?" Ann asks.

"You mean you're going to-," Kai begins.

"No," I snap. "I just mean it's better if I'm single until I can meet a guy who's mature enough to not play girls like all of you do."

Vaughn clears his throat. "Me?"

"Yes you!"

"Since when were we all Phantom Skye?" Kai asks. "This is such a stupid debate Claire, come on. All guys can't be the same. Skye has his own issues and deals with them his own way. It's not fair to judge us all by own guy. Plus, you can't blame guys if the only ones you surround yourself with are jerks."

That's right, as much as it angers me. There had to be good guys in the world, like my dad. And it wasn't fair to Skye for me to judge him on how he dealt with his problems. As much as I despised his flirtatious ways, there was a reason for them. He wasn't a thief for fun, which was for sure. But he'd never confided in anyone as to what happened to him, and I suppose that was why we all brushed it off. We either looked at him like he was a kicked puppy, or a flirtatious guy with sticky fingers. Who was Skye really?

_Someone with a really crappy past, just like you._

I stare up at Kai, my eyes wide.

"You can't judge all girls either. Everyone has a past, so it's best to just leave it at that. If people share their past with you, it means they trust you. You can't judge someone for being careful. You might be angry at first, wondering why they don't disclose their true feelings with you, but you get over it," Kai says, and stares directly into my blue eyes. "You get over it because you love the person with everything they've done, everything they've been, everything they will be. You leave their past in the past so you can get on with the life you've created with them."

I stare at the floorboards beneath my feet. "Vaughn, Ann, Popuri…could you give me a minute?"

They leave the room silently, leaving Kai sitting right in front of me.

"I," I begin, but I can't fathom what I'm supposed to say next. "I'm sorry."

Kai laughs humourlessly. "For what? It was your life after all, I was just peering into it for two months."

"Kai," I say, my hands shaking. "I…I was wrong. Farming was my father's life. I was ashamed that I couldn't do it as well as he could, that farming hadn't brought me any closer to him. It was frustruating. After years of failure I just gave up. It was time to move on. It was time to get an education. But everyone in the valley told me that I had to stay. So we reached a compromise that I'd come every summer. I still held onto the feeble hope that somehow I'd get back to him, that my dad could be proud of who I'd become. Then, you just got caught up in my past and all my problems, but you were like a dream, a fansty that I could only dream of. You made me so happy, all the time. Then…then I realized that I'd come to the farm for my dad and instead, I'd spent all of my time with you. I thought that I'd failed him, that I'd lost him forever. I blamed you, and myself. I was so stupid, so selfish, that I'd forgotten about my own father because I fell for you. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I blamed you, I'm sorry I couldn't take responsibility for who I am and who I've been." I start crying then, silently os he can't hear me.

I drop to my knees and feel the tears fall on my callused hands. I will my long hair to hide my face as I sit in the middle of the room, crying in front of a boy I'd hurt far too many times.

Warm arms pull me into an embrace. I rest my head on his shoulder and pour our my tears.

"Why don't you hate me?" I ask him, my voice betraying me.

"Because," he says, pressing me tighter against his chest. "I fell in love with you because of who you are. Who you were shaped who you are today. So I fell in love with every part of you, even the part that pushed me away. I was also tied to a promise that I made on a beach, with a blonde farmer girl, that if I managed to find her away from the farm, it meant we were destined to be together again."

I look up at him. "You mean…you still…"

Kai leans down, and in a moment, all the events of the past summer flood back to me as he eliminates the space between us and presses his mouth against mine.

_"But we have right now. Right now, we can be infinite. And…we'll see each other again ok? And then we have to stay together. It'll be a sign. When we see each other apart from the summer, it means we're destined for something!"_

I smile as I break away from him, remembering my own words on that fateful day on the beach, the day that bound us together through the last stormy days of summer.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Choice

Jill's POV

"Luna, what point is there in taking me clothing shopping if I have a giant cast on my foot?! I'm supposed to be wearing _comfortable_ things that can fit over this big thing, not sundresses! Plus, it's cold and-."

"No!" Luna yells, throwing yet another frilly dress at me. "Not another word farm-girl! Your hobo-chic thing is getting old missy!"

My eyes widen at the amount of bows and ribbons the dress features. "Luna, I cannot wear this! There is no way on earth that I could _ever_-."

"What's up ladies?" comes a voice from the doorway. I raise an eyebrow to see Gill. Luna puts a hand on her hip.

"I'm going to need an explanation as to why you're here," Luna says, "because this is a girl's dress store. So you're either following us, or have a strange addiction to dresses, or you're a creep who likes to see girls try on dresses."

Gill rolls his eyes. "I need to get some things for school, but I saw you girl from the window and decided to say hello."

"Did you? Well, then you might as well stay and help me pick out something for Jill."

"Oh, I'd much rather pick something out for you."

"What, my style's not good enough?"

"Oh on the contrary, your style is original, but I'd like to see if you can really pull off something with class."

The witty banter was making me very uncomfortable. Was Gill flirting with Luna? Before I knew it, the two were flouncing about picking dresses for Lumina. I sigh, take up my crutches and hobble out of the store.

My mental checklist had me scanning stores for sweatpants and sweaters. School was tomorrow, and I was going to have a heart attack if I tried fitting into skinny jeans with one pant leg cut off just so I could fit it over my cast. I groan and make my way down the street as rain begins to pour. My umbrella would be useless, seeing as I had two arms, both used for my crutches.

Once I'd found shelter in a medium sized clothing store, I picked out some sweatpants, and some shirts. Scanning another aisle I made eye contact with the one and only Lumina.

Of course.

At first, I think she's going to recognize me, and burst out in laughter or begin to torment me. But she simply breaks the contact, picks up a box of shoes from a shelf, and moves on.

My mind starts whirring. After everything I did to keep myself away from her, she didn't even recognize who I was? That was it?

Then I realized that I was being stupid. Maybe she didn't recognize me because my hair isn't in its perpetual ponytail after it fell out this morning and my arms hurt too much for me to try and do it again. Maybe it was because I was in a cast, and not my overalls. Or maybe she just didn't care anymore.

Ten thousand possibilities ran through my head, but then, Lumina walked by and laughed.

"You are Jill aren't you? I thought you were someone else for a second, but it must be you, right?"

I freeze.

This is what I wanted two seconds ago…for her to notice me, right?

"Yea," I say, resisting the choking feeling that's growing in my throat. "Yea, it's me."

"Oh my God!" she says, laughing. Her short hair looks perfect, and her brown eyes shine. "I can't believe you're here! What _are_ you doing so far away from home? You didn't run away again did you?"

_Here it comes_ I think to myself.

"I remember when you ran away at the Goddess pond when we were kids, and Rock was proposing to me so that I'd marry him once we got out of high school! Do you remember that, Jill?"

Of course I remember. The 6 year old Jill cried for hours that day.

"Yea, those were good times," I say.

"But then you ran off, to the city with your mom when your dad died right? Your fields were overgrown and everything was a mess. You came back, to restart the whole rancher business, but failed. I walked by your old farm a couple weeks ago. There are tons of weeds all over the place, and I think Takakura had to move away because he was so disappointed. It's okay though, since you're living in Paris now."

I ball my hands into fists. "What were you doing on my farm?"

"Oh haven't you heart? I think they're going to rip up your grounds and convert them into a little Circus! Yea, your mom can't afford to keep the land, and it's useless anyway, so she's selling it."

"That's not true! My mom would've told me!"

"Why? We all know you would've cried like a baby if you'd been told."

"It was _my family's _land. As long as I'm part of the family my mom keeps me involved. She knows how much that farm means to me-,"

"How much it means to you?" Lumina laughs. "You're in Paris, studying to get a job, not be a farmer. You've given up on that farm. And I guess your mom gave up on you."

I back away from her, my eyes burning with tears, and my fist balled up in anger. I turn to leave and hear her call out, "Go on and run, little Jill. It's the only thing you're good at anyway!"

I bolt away from her, finding the door. I open it, and see Skye, a hood pulled over his head and a shopping bag in his hand. He looks surprised to see me, and seeing my expression, worried. Lumina spots him, and starts laughing.

"Hey Jill, meet Skye, my boyfriend."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Nightmare before Classes

Jill's POV:

You know, I really wish that I'd punched Lumina in the face. It would've felt good. Maybe I would've felt guilty afterwards, and have had to go apologize. Maybe Skye would've been mad that I'd punched his girlfriend. But it felt worse in that moment, to know that Skye was watching me crumble right in front of him. It felt worse to know that I was going to walk home through the rain, on crutches. It felt worse that yet again I was alone in the city of light, dreams, and romance. It felt worse to know that through everything, Skye still hadn't chosen me.

I didn't go straight home, not because I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't go home because I was completely disoriented. I'd whispered congratulations to Skye and pushed past him. He'd had a strange, bewildered, look on his face that made me want to scream at him. How did he not know?

Sitting in the street, soaked, with blurry, puffy, red eyes and no sense of direction, was me, probably confirming Luna's suspicion of me being a hobo. I know that I have to get home, classes start tomorrow after all. I know that I want to be in my bed, however crappy and tiny, just to get some sleep. But there's not a bone in my body that's willing to move or function. There's not one single part of me willing to get up and move. I regret every decision I've made to come here, not only because of Skye, but because there's a big chance that Lumina's right. Why would my mom tell me if she'd already made up her mind? I would've fought her, and she wouldn't have been able to bring up the money to keep the farm. It's a dying place. I should let it die.

"Jill?" someone says.

I lift my head up to see Kai and Claire, arms linked, and smelling of cinnamon twists.

"Hi," I say, not bothering to conceal my oppression.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asks, looking bewildered.

"Oh," is all I can say. "Oh I was just doing some shopping, and I got lost. My leg was killing me so I thought I'd sit for a second."

Claire looks disbelieving. "Come on home, classes start tomorrow!"

"Yea," I say, plastering on a fake smile. "Do you guys know where to go?"

Claire puts on a sympathetic smile. "Of course we know the navigation! Come on!"

She helps me up, and we all walk the short walk to the dormitory. I leave Kai and Claire for their romantic goodbye and trudge up to my room. Without realizing it, I slam the door shut and let out a huge sigh.

"You're home," Skye's voice chimes.


End file.
